By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
RCMP say an injured man found lying in the middle of Hwy. 3 in East Osoyoos on Saturday night likely fell off of the tailgate of a pickup truck he was riding on, based on video footage the RCMP reviewed.
This revelation dispelled rampant talk on social media that the man was a victim of a hit-and-run as he was crossing the road. The incident closed the highway in both directions for a few hours as police investigated.
Speaking to Times Chronicle Monday (June 24) morning, Detachment Commander Sgt. Jason Bayda said police received a call out on June 22 at approximately 10:50 p.m. regarding a man who was lying injured on Highway 3 in front of the Coast Hotel.
CCTV video has confirmed earlier conclusions by the RCMP that the individual, now confirmed to be a 51-year-old from the lower mainland, was not struck by a vehicle.
Bayda added that the video shows the man sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck just prior to the incident but as the truck leaves a hotel parking lot the camera is obscured by a utility pole. Once the truck reappears in the field of vision there is no one sitting on the tailgate.
“We are working on the theory that he fell off thus receiving the injuries. We can definitively confirm no other vehicle was involved and this was not a hit and run,” he said.
The question now is what happened to the truck and why did it not stop when the individual on the tailgate fall off. This is now the focus of the investigation Bayda said.
“We are working on the theory that he fell off thus receiving the injuries. We can definitively confirm no other vehicle was involved and this was not a hit and run,” he said.
“Initial reports suggested the man may have been hit by a vehicle and a vehicle was identified to police as having left the scene. As such, the highway was closed while an extensive investigation was conducted,” Bayda said.
Errant speculation on social media suggested a white Mustang had left the scene. This vehicle was actually owned by the person who found the man lying injured in the middle of the street and called 911.
The driver had initially used their vehicle to shield the man from being hit by traffic and subsequently moved their vehicle into a hotel parking lot, staying on scene, after emergency services arrived.
“While investigating and finding no evidence of the man being struck by a vehicle, police received an update from the hospital who advised the man’s injuries were not consistent with being struck by a vehicle but instead consistent with a fall, hitting his head.”
Bayda said the man had no other injuries to his body and there was no vehicle debris or other evidence to suggest he was struck by a vehicle.
“He had a head injury that was more consistent with him simply falling and striking his head.” He added that typically when someone is struck by a vehicle, there will be other marks or injuries on the person’s body as well as ripped clothing, for instance.
“Usually you’ll find small parts of debris, whether it be paint chips or sometimes bigger debris. And there was nothing, nothing whatsoever on the roadway.”
“All evidence points to the man falling on his own, hitting his head. The man is still in the hospital and we have not yet been able to talk to him to ascertain further information but again, at this time it does not appear that he was struck by a vehicle,” Bayda said prior to viewing the CCTV video footage.
The individual is warded at the hospital with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries” and the RCMP will be speaking with him in due course.
Bayda noted the factually incorrect information that was being posted on Facebook saying, “I read some things on Facebook and people say it was a fatality. Unfortunately, people speak before they even know the facts.”
