Oak Bay municipal worker struck and killed in crash

A 52-year-old municipal worker and father of two young children is dead after he was struck by a vehicle while inspecting a manhole cover in Oak Bay on Wednesday morning.

Oak Bay police say the crash occurred around 8 a.m. in the 1700-block of Monterey Avenue.

Two of the worker's colleagues tell CTV News the man was in a park across from the Oak Bay fire hall, looking down at the manhole cover, when the northbound vehicle left the roadway and struck him, throwing him several metres.

"Tragically, the man was pronounced deceased at the scene," said Oak Bay police in a release Wednesday.

The vehicle eventually struck a tree in the park, next to Bowker Creek.

The victim had been employed by the municipality for less than a year and was married with young kids, Oak Bay police Chief Mark Fisher said.

Police say the driver of the vehicle, a black SUV, was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators have not yet ruled out a medical emergency or intoxication as factors in the crash, Fisher said.

Witnesses tell CTV News they saw a vehicle speeding down Monterey Avenue and across Oak Bay Avenue, weaving into oncoming lanes and narrowly missing a child on a bicycle, before the collision.

Emergency responders in Oak Bay have closed several blocks to traffic after a serious crash Wednesday morning. (CTV News)

Murray Rankin, the MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, called the incident a "tragic loss" for the community in a post on his Facebook page.

"Sending my deepest condolences to his loved ones at this time," Rankin said. "We must continue to make roads safer for everyone in our neighbourhoods."

Several blocks of Monterey Avenue, between Cranmore Road and Oak Bay Avenue, were expected to remain closed to traffic for several hours as police investigated the scene.

A section of the street, near the Oak Bay fire hall and police department, remained behind police tape with multiple police officers on scene around noon.

Witnesses tell CTV News they saw a vehicle speeding down Monterey Avenue and across Oak Bay Avenue, weaving into oncoming lanes and narrowly missing a child on a bicycle, before the collision. (CTV News)

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam video is asked to contact Saanich police, who are assisting with the investigation, at [e-mail].

WorkSafeBC has launched its own investigation into the incident.