A youth riding a bicycle who died after being struck by a pickup towing a boat has been identified as an 11-year-old Mill Bay boy.
The collision happened just after 6:30 p.m. Monday at the corner of Benko Road and Kearney Place in Mill Bay.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene by B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics. Shawnigan Lake RCMP and the Mill Bay Fire Department also responded.
Shawnigan Lake RCMP Detachment Commander Tim Desaulniers said the collision is still being investigated, but it appears the cyclist failed to stop at a stop sign when he turned left to head onto Benko Road.
He said the driver of the pickup, which was towing a boat, was unable to stop in time and hit the cyclist.
“The driver is co-operating with the investigation and initially [there] does not appear to be any criminality in this tragic collision,” Desaulniers said.
Police did not release the name of the youth, but friends and family identified him online as 11-year-old Avery Oye.
In a Facebook post, Bev Rempel wrote: “It is the hardest thing to tell everyone. Our grandson Avery Oye, the sweetest and kindest boy ever made, was killed in a tragic accident while on his bike on July 12, 2021 by his home.”
Rempel described Avery as a talented artist who loved animals, baseball and “watching movies with his dad.”
“Avery was the highlight of our lives, the most precious being we ever laid eyes on. He made our world bright and full with his energy,” she wrote.
A fundraising page set up to help his parents says he was a “brilliant young boy of 11 who was greatly creative.”
“He spent his free time building models, painting and drawing, as well as learning to play the cello,” read the page, set up by Petra Hansman. “He lived with his mother Sarah and father Kiyo at their hobby farm in Mill Bay. He was very involved in the farm, and most loved their bunnies and his dog, Charlie.”
A second fundraising page set up by the Mill Bay Nature School says he was a student there.
Desaulniers encouraged anyone who saw the incident to contact local victim services or Shawnigan Lake RCMP. Shawnigan Lake officers are continuing to investigate, along with the Vancouver Island Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service. The B.C. Coroners Service is conducting a separate investigation.
• The fundraising pages can be found at gofund.me/2092c267 and gofund.me/941d31b6.
