COURTENAY -- Two people have been injured after the ATV (all terrain vehicle) they were riding on slammed into a tree along a gravel logging road in the Comox Valley on Monday.
The incident took place shortly after 1 p.m. off the Duncan Bay Main Line Road near the base of Mount Washington.
The pair, a man and a woman, were thrown off the ATV after it struck a tree at the end of a downward portion of the logging road.
According to a first responder at the scene, it was the victims of the crash that first called for assistance – but they were confused as to exactly where they were.
Fire inspector Greg Lamb of the Courtenay Fire Department says it took a second caller to narrow down the victim's location.
The fire department is now asking residents to take precautions before exploring the island.
“I think the biggest thing is obviously slow down, but definitely with this call, know where you are,” said Lamb.
“There was some issue with the location. We waited for a second caller to call in when we got a better location,” he said.
Cumberland's Fire Chief located the scene first after hearing the call and calculating where the pair was located. He then unlocked a gate on Mosaic Forest Management property so crews could gain access.
The pair was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, including a gash to the male rider's forehead.
An air ambulance was initially called to the scene and a landing zone was setup. The helicopter was later stood down and three ambulances attended the scene instead.
Emergency crews are often called to back areas of the Comox Valley for quad, motorcycle and mountain biking accidents, but normally later in the year.
"It is May, it is getting nice out and people are wanting to get out from being quarantined," said Lamb.
The fire inspector says the key to getting a faster response in emergency situations is to provide better directions to the accident scene.
“Depending on the caller's technology of their phone, you can get a better location from GPS and just knowing where you are,” said Lamb.
“If you go up a road just make a mental note of the road that you are on so that if you do have to call emergency services, they'll easily be able to find you.”
