A lone male driver was extremely fortunate to avoid serious injury, thanks in large part to the safety features of his vehicle. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

water rescue

Driver ‘extremely lucky’ to avoid serious injury after rollover crash in Nanaimo

Mar 8, 2024 | 9:43 AM

NANAIMO — An apparently tired driver was lucky to escape serious injuries after a rollover along Third St.

A vehicle travelling westbound, towards Wakesiah Ave. left the roadway around 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, flipped and came to rest upside down in a water-filled culvert.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief David Dales told NanaimoNewsNOW multiple calls came to 911 reporting a vehicle upside down in the water.

“The vehicle when it entered the water…there was a lot of smoke coming out of it so it was actually interpreted by a few witnesses as a car, inverted, in the water, on fire. Very dramatic to the people who witnessed it, but the reality was it was just about two feet of water in one puddle.”

Removal of a vehicle which flipped into a culvert off Third St. on Thursday afternoon was the most complicated part of a response by local first responders. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Dales labelled the incident “very unique” and one firefighters might see once a year or even less.

He noted the driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, had tried to get themselves out of the vehicle, but needed a little bit of help from responding firefighters through the rear passenger-side door.

“If the patient was trapped, it was going to be an extremely complicated rescue. If the vehicle had suffered slightly more damage…[the driver] would have had partial emersion inside that water. He was able to unclip his seatbelt…then he was up to about his knees in water while the car was upside down.”

Dales said it was clear the vehicle “had enough speed” to leave the roadway and flip, and the driver was “extremely lucky to have his experience” on Thursday.

He said safety features on modern vehicles from the last 10 years played a huge role in keeping the driver safe, as the general shape of the car remained intact and the airbags deployed.

Tire tracks were visible off the side of the road for approximately 50 metres before the culvert.

RCMP told NanaimoNewsNOW drugs and alcohol were ruled out as contributing factors behind the crash, with the driver telling officers on scene he was very tired.

The driver was ticketed under the Motor Vehicle Act for driving without consideration, while his vehicle was towed from the scene.

Traffic was closed briefly, then re-opened to single lane alternating traffic as crews worked the scene. Normal traffic flows resumed before 5 p.m. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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