A man was sent to hospital Sunday morning after being struck by a TransLink bus during a half-marathon in Vancouver.
RCMP Insp. Rob Vermeulen told Global News that the incident happened just after 9 a.m. in the 5700-block of Southwest Marine Drive.
He said the road had been divided, with two lanes for traffic and one lane for runners.
“We had a runner in his late 50’s that ran into the traffic lane and was struck by a bus. The injuries are not life threatening.”
Vancouver Fall Classic participant Jon Major said the incident happened about 12 metres from him, on Southwest Marine Drive east of Westbrook Mall at UBC.
“I didn’t see the lead-up to it, but heard the sound and saw the guy fall. He was conscious when the paramedics arrived but I’m sure he was in pretty bad shape, and the bus windshield was shattered,” Major told Global News.
Organizer Eric Chéné with RUNVAN told Global News that one person was taken to hospital, describing the incident as a “worst nightmare.”
In an emailed statement, Chéné said safety is RUNVAN’s priority.
“We’re very sorry to hear that this happened,” he said.
“As non-profit organizers, RUNVAN® works closely with BC Road Safe, Ministry of Transportation, Metro Parks, and UBC to ensure roads are closed per traffic management plan.
“Our thoughts are with the runner at this time. A thorough review will follow with all stakeholders.”
Nothing like this has happened before at previous events, they said.
TransLink confirmed that there was an incident Sunday morning involving one of its buses, but would not comment further, as the incident is now being investigated by police.
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