A 70-year-old man was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after he was struck by a truck while cycling in north Nanaimo Friday morning.
The incident happened about 11:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Island Highway, just north of where it merges with Highway 19A.
Witnesses told police the cyclist was headed north and seemed to be merging to the right side of the highway when he was hit by the truck, which was also northbound.
An off-duty paramedic and a nurse assisted the cyclist until B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics arrived.
The Island Highway’s northbound lanes were closed to allow a helicopter to land and take the man for treatment. The lanes remained closed for investigators.
The driver of the truck stayed at the scene. Drugs and alcohol were ruled out as factors in the crash.
The truck, an older-model GMC pickup, was towed and will undergo a mechanical inspection.
