Friends mourn driver killed at ferry terminal

The driver of a white pickup truck who raced off a ramp at Swartz Bay ferry terminal Friday and plunged into the ocean was James Davies, 29, from the West Shore.

Davies, who died in the crash, is remembered by friends and family as a compassionate and intelligent man – a son, brother, grandson and godfather. Many friends posted smiling photos of Davies on Facebook during the weekend, remembering better days.

Davies was godfather to Andrea Diercks’s daughter Chloe. He was a best friend, a rock, Diercks said. "I’m so blessed to have had someone so special in my life."

News that Davies was the man in the truck Friday spread like wildfire, she said, following the tragic, high-profile incident.

"He was loved by so many and we are all in shock," Diercks said. "He is a very well-liked and respected person. Lots looked up to him."

Family members did not want to talk Monday.

Sidney-North Saanich RCMP would not confirm the victim’s identity, saying they wanted to ensure friends and family members had adequate time to hear and digest the news.

"An updated media release confirming the name of the driver involved in the ferry incident is expected to be released [today]," Sgt. Wayne Conley said Monday.

Onlookers at the scene Friday assumed the incident was a suicide.

"He was a protector of all his friends and a soldier. There are really no other people like him," Diercks said. "He was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. He always put other people before himself."

Davies would have turned 30 this summer. He loved animals and children, and sponsored a child in Africa. In April, he enjoyed a trip with friends and family to Mexico.

Davies was a Vancouver Canucks fan, had worked on oil rigs for Precision Drilling Corp. in Alberta, had hundreds of friends, and was a Christian, according to his Facebook page.

His social networking site also says his dog Raiden died of cancer in April 2010.

Davies’s pickup sped along the upper ramp of a dock at the terminal at 5:30 p.m. Friday, smashing through aluminum barriers and soaring about 45 metres through the air before entering the water. The incident happened between sailings.

His body was retrieved by coast guard divers and he was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner. The truck also was retrieved Friday night.

B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said the corporation will conduct a site investigation to examine whether there are any lessons to be learned from the incident.

Diercks imagined that if she ever gives birth to a son, she’ll name him James in memory of her best friend.