Bystanders help free Nanaimo woman, 72, pinned under car

A 72-year-old Nanaimo woman pinned under a vehicle was rescued by two police officers and a group of bystanders who lifted the car off her.

The woman had fallen off her bike on Rutherford Road in Nanaimo about 1 p.m. Saturday. She was sitting on a sidewalk recovering when she was struck and run over by a car emerging from a driveway.

Police said the driver did not see the woman.

Several frantic bystanders flagged down a Nanaimo RCMP police cruiser.

“The officers pulled over and quickly grasped the significance of the situation — a female was pinned underneath a full-size sedan and was severely injured,” said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien.

The woman’s upper body was pinned under the car, restricting her airway.

Nine people in total banded together to lift the car. One person pulled the woman out from under the vehicle.

The woman was nonresponsive at first but regained consciousness within seconds, police said.

B.C. Ambulance paramedics took the woman to hospital, where- she was treated for her injuries. She was released on Sunday. The 32-year-old driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.

“Our officers would like to extend a heartfelt thank you the bystanders for their life-saving efforts,” O’Brien said.

“Without their immediate assistance, this incident may have ended tragically.”