Man, 51, struck by vehicle on Courtenay roadway

Incident marks third time pedestrian injured this week

A 51-year-old man was struck by a car while crossing a road in the Comox Valley on Wednesday, the third time a pedestrian has been hit in the region since Sunday.

One person died and two others were seriously injured.

The most recent incident took place at 12:53 p.m. on Comox Road near Scott Road in Courtenay, said RCMP Const. Rob Gardner.

It appears that the man was attempting to cross the road when he stepped out from behind a parked car, Gardner said. He was not in a crosswalk.

A small northbound sport utility vehicle struck the pedestrian.

The man was taken to hospital in critical condition, Gardner said. Police are investigating. The B.C. Coroners Service has identified the man who died Sunday after being struck as Robert Anthony Leslie, 92.

Leslie was in a marked crosswalk at Torrence and Guthrie roads in Comox early Sunday evening when he was struck by a sport utility vehicle.

He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital, but died soon after arriving.

On Tuesday morning, a 24-year-old woman was taken to hospital in serious condition after being hit in a marked crosswalk in Courtenay.

The incident took place about 7:15 a.m. at the intersection of Ryan Road and Highway 19A.

Gardner urged drivers and pedestrians to watch out for others on any roads.

Pedestrians should make eye contact with drivers to ensure that they are seen, he said.

According to figures from the Insurance Corp. of B.C., 330 pedestrians are injured by vehicles every year on Vancouver Island. The numbers are based on a five-year average beginning in 2009.

Ten pedestrians on the Island die each year, according to ICBC.

For B.C. as a whole, 58 pedestrians die on average every year, while 2,400 are injured.