A 44-year-old man has died after being hit by a driver on Ryan Road in Courtenay Friday morning, and RCMP says the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Just after 3 a.m., emergency crews were called out to Ryan Road for the crash.
“Despite the efforts of first responders on the scene, unfortunately, the male died at the scene,” Const. Monika Terragni with Comox Valley RCMP said.
The road was closed for about four hours for the investigation. Terragni says no criminality is suspected, but the cause is still under investigation.
Police have spoken with the driver and one witness, but if anyone else was driving by around that time and may have seen the pedestrian, they are asked to contact RCMP.
Terragni says that stretch of the road is dark, doesn’t have lights and it was drizzling at the time. She urged pedestrians walking along dark roads to use caution.
ICBC says drivers should make sure to look for pedestrians and reduce your speed in areas with pedestrians.
In B.C., almost one in five people killed in car crashes are pedestrians. Every year, an average of 2,346 pedestrians are injured and 53 pedestrians are killed in B.C.
B.C. recently brought in new rules that introduce minimum distances drivers have to leave when passing vulnerable road users including pedestrians.
On a road with a speed limit of 50 kilometres an hour or lower, drivers must leave one metre between a vulnerable road user and the furthest protruding part of the vehicle, like the mirror.
On roads with speed limits over 50 km/h, that passing distance increases to 1.5 metres.
RELATED: Minimum passing distance for vulnerable road users now in effect in B.C.
Laura Brougham
