Truck: Loaded fuel tanker fatally strikes pedestrian at Nanaimo Co-op gas bar
A 42-year-old woman died after a loaded fuel truck struck her while reversing at a gas station in downtown Nanaimo on Sept. 16, police said. The collision remains under investigation, and the B.C. Coroners Service is conducting a separate investigation into the death.
Loaded fuel tanker fatally strikes pedestrian at Nanaimo Co-op gas bar
Nanaimo RCMP were called to the Mid-Island Co-op Gas Bar at 60 Victoria Crescent at about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators determined that a loaded gasoline tanker was backing into the parking lot when it struck a pedestrian near the property entrance, between the sidewalk and the parking area. (CHEK News; Nanaimo News NOW)
Police said the woman was seated or lying near the curb when she was struck. She suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has been established, and police said they were working to notify and support her family. (CityNews Vancouver)
The circumstances leading to the collision have not been determined. B.C. RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said investigators were gathering evidence to establish exactly what occurred, while the B.C. Coroners Service was conducting a concurrent investigation. (Times Colonist)
What happened at the gas station
The reports describe the tanker reversing from Victoria Crescent into the gas bar’s parking lot. An eyewitness, Kevan Shaw, told local media that he heard the vehicle’s warning beeper and saw it backing up slowly. He also described another car approaching, sounding its horn and going around the reversing tanker before a brief commotion. (Nanaimo Bulletin; CHEK News)
Shaw’s account is separate from the police description of the collision. He said he did not know what had happened to the pedestrian before emergency crews arrived, and he left the circumstances to investigators. Available reporting does not establish whether the interaction involving the other vehicle contributed to the fatal collision.
Police initially described the victim as a man in an early report. Later updates from Nanaimo RCMP and subsequent reports identified the victim as a 42-year-old woman. (Nanaimo Bulletin; Times Colonist)
Road closure and police appeal
Victoria Crescent was briefly closed while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene. The road later reopened, although police asked motorists to avoid the area and use another route. (CHEK News; Times Colonist)
Anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-camera footage from the area around the time of the incident is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and refer to file 2026-30893. The police investigation and the coroner’s investigation remain ongoing.