Delayed drivers vent frustration at crash-site police

Swearing, insults, complaints conveyed ‘all the time’

Angry drivers upset by traffic delays due to a serious crash south of Nanaimo this week threw insults at RCMP officers who were protecting the integrity of the scene by diverting traffic.

While many drivers were co-operative, understanding and appreciative, others were not, Nanaimo RCMP officer Const. Gary O’Brien said on Tuesday.

“All people have to do is stop for a second and think what would they do if that was one of their family members injured in that car accident? What would they want the police officers to do?”

A 35-year-old man is at Victoria General Hospital in intensive care after a two-car crash at 12:45 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Cedar Road and Highway 1, O’Brien said.

A 29-year-old woman driving the other car was treated for minor injuries and released from medical care.

Mechanical inspections will be done on both cars as the investigation continues.

The highway was closed to southbound traffic for much of the day, and, for a period of time, to northbound traffic.

Some drivers had to wait 45 minutes to an hour or more before they could continue, O’Brien said. About 85 per cent of the drivers were diverted to other routes.

“Some people were just not allowed to go into certain areas because they would have had to cross the accident scene,” he said.

It is common for drivers to vent frustration in such instances. Drivers delayed by crashes will even swear at officers.

“They don’t do it to your face. They will voice their frustration and they’ll start to drive away and often they will give you the finger or swear at you as they leave. … It happens all the time.”

In the minds of the drivers, “we are inconveniencing them,” he said. People are creatures of habit wanting to get from one point to another in the quickest way possible, he said. “When we upset the apple cart, they take it out on us.”

Evidence could be destroyed by motorists driving through the area and lead to someone who caused a horrific accident walking away with no consequences, he said.

An accident site is treated as though it is a crime scene and evidence must be preserved, O’Brien said. “Traffic analysts are detailed and thorough in their approach … like forensic investigators.

“They have to focus on their task at hand and our job is to keep them safe when they do it.”

This is time-consuming, O’Brien said, adding it is “necessary to ensure the investigation is thorough and done to the standards expected of the citizens we serve, the court service and the RCMP.”

It was not comfortable for officers on Monday. “It was 29 to 30 degrees. They are out there three to four hours trying to keep the scene secure,” O’Brien said.

“It was boiling hot. You are standing on the asphalt. You might as well be standing on an airport runway.”

On top of uniforms, officers must wear reflective vests that retain more heat.

Some people were grateful to police. Food and water from a Tim Hortons restaurant was dropped off throughout the day, he said.

Rude drivers are typically not penalized. “You have to have a thick skin in this job.”