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 with his wife. (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.