Mounties are blaming a pre-existing medical condition as the reason a man crashed his older model Ford F-150 pickup into three vehicles in three separate accidents in six hours Monday.
The first of the three accidents happened at about 9:30 a.m. on Resort Drive in Parksville when the 51-year-old man from a small community north of Parksville – which police would not identify to protect the driver’s privacy – drove into another vehicle.
Since no one was injured and damage was minimal, police attendance was not required and the owners exchanged information and continued on.
Police did attend when the man drove head-on into pickup at 11:30 a.m. on Lawlor Road in north Nanaimo. No one was injured, but officers discovered the suspect driver’s licence had expired recently.
After speaking with the man, police determined a medical condition was behind his erratic driving. They fined the him $276 for not having a valid driver’s licence, but opted not to tow his truck because it was legally parked and the driver assured them he wouldn’t drive it.
The driver managed to pilot his truck just 50 metres from the scene of the second accident when he backed into a parked Honda Civic with a woman sitting in it at 2:40 p.m. Police issued him another ticket for not having a driver’s licence and this time had his truck towed. The woman in the Honda was uninjured.
“The officers realized medical conditions were behind these incidents, however, the public was at risk and therefore the vehicle had to be towed,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “Also, to prevent further incidents they also notified the motor vehicle branch to ensure they were aware of all the facts when they meet to review the male’s driving status.”