Oak Bay worker killed on the job identified; police investigating 'evidence of erratic driving'
A municipal worker who was struck and killed while on the job in Oak Bay on Wednesday morning has been identified.
Steve Seekins, a 52-year-old married father of two young children, was inspecting a manhole cover with a public works crew on the sidewalk of Monterey Avenue around 8 a.m. when a black Mercedes SUV barreled toward him.
Steve Seekins is pictured. (District of Oak Bay)The vehicle was "travelling at a high rate of speed," Oak Bay police Chief Mark Fisher told Victoria radio station CFAX 1070 on Thursday.
The SUV "crossed both lanes of traffic and struck Mr. Seekins from behind, causing him to go airborne," Fisher said.
Seekins was thrown into the park on the west side of the 1700-block of Monterey Avenue, across from the Oak Bay fire and police department buildings.
He was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the SUV, which had crashed into a tree, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where she remained Wednesday night.
Oak Bay police, with the assistance of a Saanich police detective, are now canvassing the area in search of witness accounts and video of the vehicle before the crash.
Witnesses told CTV News they saw a vehicle speeding down Monterey Avenue, weaving into oncoming lanes and narrowly missing a child on a bicycle just before the fatal collision.
The vehicle eventually struck a tree in the park, next to Bowker Creek. (CTV News)
"There was evidence of erratic driving just prior to this incident," Fisher said, adding the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
WorkSafeBC has launched its own investigation into the incident.
Colleagues of Seekins have started a fundraiser to support his family. The campaign had raised more than $25,000 by Thursday morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Conservatives kick off return to House with new call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday with a renewed call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign, this time over 'very partisan' and 'inflammatory' language used to promote an upcoming event.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
How much more Canadian consumers are paying, compared to this time last year
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended war crimes charges in Israel-Hamas war
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended that the chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes court seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of the militant Hamas group.
Flight PS752 victims' families say they're not sorry to hear of Iran president death
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.