It happened nearly a decade ago but for Andrew Stones the memory of being struck by a seaplane on the Sunshine Coast is still fresh in his mind.
The Sechelt retiree was rowing his skiff to his houseboat at Porpoise Bay in April 2015 when a Harbour Air float plane crashed into him.
“I heard it coming in and didn’t give much thought until I realized it was starting to accelerate. And I turned around to take a look, it’s coming right at me,” Stones said. “I stood up and waved my oar so I thought that the pilot could see me. That didn’t work. It was coming right at me and I had to get off. So I just jumped.”
Stones said the plane then collided with his skiff.
“I got rolled underneath the skiff and then underneath the plane,” he said. “When I popped up, I could see all these faces in the window looking at me.”
Remarkably, Stones escaped uninjured. He took the company to court and won.
Global News has reviewed court documents revealing a substantial payout. Stones isn’t allowed to share the details publicly.
“They basically admitted to it, made a petty payment, and then just moved on,” the 57-year-old said.
Stones came to Global News to share his story after seeing a report on the recent Harbour Air plane crash in Vancouver last weekend. Last Saturday, a Harbour Air float plane crashed into a small boat in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.
Officials said two people on board the boat were seriously injured. No injuries were reported for those on board the plane. The federal Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the incident the crash from last weekend.
Stones said he wants to see tougher regulations for seaplane operators after seeing what happened last weekend, paired with his own crash experience.
“Nothing was done (after my crash). They didn’t have to comply with anything or change any of their procedures. They didn’t have to do anything,” Stones claims.
Global News reached out to Harbour Air for comment.
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