5 months ago
Swift News
Students and instructors at North Island College's campus in Courtenay, B.C., are grieving the death of a student who died of a brain injury following a collision with a cyclist on the night of Sept. 16.
Carissa Wilson, executive director of the North Island Students' Union, says Max Poley, 24, had worked his regular evening shift at the NISU Eats cafeteria that evening and was walking home when the incident happened.
Wilson says Poley was taken to intensive care at Victoria General Hospital and had been recovering, but then suffered an inoperable brain bleed and died on Monday.
"He was talking to family. He had even cracked a couple of jokes," she told CBC News.
"But he was still drifting in and out of consciousness. And head injuries, you know, they're really, really tough in the first couple of weeks."
Comox Valley RCMP have confirmed they're investigating the collision, and the cyclist has been identified.
B.C. Emergency Health Services told CBC News they responded to a call at 8:49 p.m. PT on Sept. 16 near the intersection of Ryan Road and Back Road.
One person was transported to hospital in stable condition, and another was transported in serious condition, said paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites.
Wilson says Poley lived near Back Road, and often walked home down Ryan Road, a steep and busy thoroughfare in East Courtenay with a narrow, painted bike lane.
Wilson says a health worker told Poley's mother that the cyclist was riding on the sidewalk when the collision happened, but RCMP have not confirmed that detail.
"We are still working to uncover additional details about the collision and all the circumstances surrounding the event," said Const. Monika Terragni with Comox Valley RCMP.