A 34-year-old woman died Wednesday morning when her motorcycle was hit by an SUV at Shelbourne Street and McRae Avenue.
The motorcyclist was thrown off her bike and hit a utility pole, said Saanich police Sgt. John Price. The woman, who was riding a Honda 500 sport bike, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have not released the woman’s name.
The crash happened just after 9 a.m. The motorcyclist was heading south in the right-hand lane of Shelbourne Street. An SUV was in the northbound centre lane waiting to turn left onto McRae Avenue. The driver of the SUV started to make his turn and struck the motorcyclist.
“You can see the debris in the curb lane. That’s the point of contact,” Price said. “The motorcyclist, and maybe the motorcycle, hit the utility pole after coming in contact with that vehicle.”
Police believe another car was in the southbound centre lane, turning left onto McRae, he said.
“So the driver’s sitting here waiting to turn left and someone is over there waiting to turn left. We’re in the early stages, but there’s every indication the driver was sitting blind a little bit,” Price said.
An off-duty firefighter and an off-duty doctor rushed to assist the woman. They rolled the injured woman over, keeping her helmet on, placed her on a C-spine board and started CPR.
First responders continued CPR, but the woman could not be saved.
“The driver was very upset when we shared that news with him,” Price said.
A number of people witnessed the crash. Police will talk to them and interview the driver, who is co-operating fully with the crash investigators.
“At this point, it’s not a criminal investigation. [The driver] was identified and we have all his contact information. Our primary investigators will talk to him,” Price said.
Shelbourne Street was closed between North Dairy Road and Knight Avenue until noon. The normally busy road was quiet as the crash analyst team collected evidence. The woman’s small black backpack lay on the grass a few feet from the damaged motorcycle.
Investigators will examine the damage to the vehicles, and both vehicles will undergo mechanical fitness inspections, Price said.
Saanich Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash or anyone who saw either vehicle before the crash to call their non-emergency line at 250-475-4321.
