Man commits suicide at B.C. Ferry

The ferry terminal at Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, north of Victoria was scene of an apparent suicide on Friday around 5pm. A man in a white pickup truck bought a ticket for the ferry and waited in line for about 25 minutes. Suddenly, he left the line-up and drove at a high rate of speed to the ramp. He crashed through the safety barriers then flew off the ramp soaring about 30 metres through the air and plunged into the water. According to witnesses, the truck hit the water front first, floated for about ten to fifteen seconds then sank in the water. B.C. Ferries’ video cameras recorded the incident.

The Vancouver Sun quoted Mike Corrigan, B.C. Ferries’ chief operating officer as saying, “The Spirit of B.C. had left the dock five minutes before. I’ve reviewed the video and there’s no ship in sight so this individual purposely wanted to launch himself into the water at a high rate of speed. It’s ‘very obvious’ that the driver of the pickup knew what he was doing. This individual decided that he wanted to drive at a very high rate of speed through our barrier gates and launch himself into the ocean.”

The CBC reported that the body was recovered by Coast guard divers Friday evening. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner. A white body bag was loaded onto a coast guard hovercraft about 7:30 p.m.

Corrigan added, “To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time someone has launched himself off the end of the dock without a vessel being there. It’s a pretty isolated event, obviously.”

Police are investigating the man and his motives. Will the B.C. Ferry video ever be released to the public?

Uploaded by ANewsVanIsland on May 20, 2011

Truck Driven into Water at BC Ferry Terminal

SWARTZ BAY – One person is dead after a truck drove off a ramp at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal about five minutes after the Spirit of British Columbia had left the terminal. It happened at 5:35 this evening as the terminal was crowded with travellers for the long weekend. The joint rescue co-ordination centre says the pickup truck sped down a lane at the ferry terminal, broke through a barrier and went over a loading ramp into the water. Divers found the truck submerged in 10 metres of water and removed the lone occupant just after 7:00 tonight. No name has been released.

References

Google Maps: Swartz Bay, British Columbia

Wikipedia: Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal

The Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal is a major transportation facility at Swartz Bay in North Saanich, British Columbia. It is located 32 km (20 miles) north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The terminal is part of the BC Ferry system, as well as part of Highway 17.

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