VICTORIA -- RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating an off-road crash that killed one man near Nanaimo Sunday.
The crash took place in the Boomerang Lake area near Road 142 around 3 p.m. Witnesses told police that a man was riding a 350cc orange KTM motorcycle towards Lantzville when he crashed into a Polaris all-terrain vehicle heading in the opposite direction.
The driver of the all-terrain vehicle was travelling with two other Polaris vehicles, and was uninjured in the crash.
After the collision occurred, several witnesses called 911. An air ambulance was dispatched to the scene and landed about one kilometre away from the crash site just after 4 p.m. The motorcycle rider, 21, was air-lifted to a hospital in Victoria, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
"The investigation is only in the preliminary stages," said Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP in a release Monday.
"Along with the BC Coroners Service being advised, investigators will be examining a number of factors that may have contributed to the fatal collision, such as speed of the vehicles, road and weather conditions and any alcohol consumption," he said.
Investigators say the off-road motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle have been seized by police and will undergo mechanical inspections.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345. Police are also hoping to speak with anyone who may have information on the behavior of those involved in the crash during the day before the collision took place.
