Man, 23, dies after ATV crashes in Nanaimo area

A 23-year-old man is dead following the crash of an all-terrain vehicle near Nanaimo.

RCMP and paramedics responded to a report of a crash and a man with life-threatening injuries about 2 a.m. Sunday.

The crash happened along a logging road, about half a kilometre from South Forks and Nanaimo Lakes roads.

Paramedics transported the man to a local hospital. He was then airlifted to hospital in Vancouver, where he died of his injuries.

Investigators said the man was with two friends who were driving a small off-road vehicle when he lost control of his ATV while navigating a corner. He was thrown from the vehicle into bushes.

The man’s friends managed to carry him to the nearby road and call 911.

Police are investigating a number of factors, including speed, terrain and the ATV, to determine what contributed to the crash.

The ATV will undergo a mechanical inspection.