Elderly Nanaimo woman hit by a vehicle while riding her scooter: police

Mounties in Nanaimo say an elderly woman riding her mobility scooter was hit by a minivan on Monday afternoon.

Photos posted to social media by Nanaimo Fire Rescue show crews working to get the empty scooter unwedged from underneath a Dodge minivan.

The Nanaimo RCMP says the collision happened at the Port Place Shopping Centre just before 3 p.m.

Staff Sgt. Darwin Tetreault tells CityNews the woman was rescued after her mobility scooter was pinned under the van and was rushed to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Tetreault says the RCMP sees an increase in pedestrians hit around this time of year after daylight savings time comes into effect.

“In the traffic collision investigative world, we call November and the beginning of December, ‘Heavy pedestrian struck season,'” he said. “That is when we get the most pedestrian-struck files of any other time throughout the course of the year.”

“Whether you’re collecting gifts or visiting friends or family please take the extra time to make sure that you arrive safely … nobody wants to have a tragedy over the course of the holidays.”

Police say the cause of the accident is unknown for now, and the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service has been called in to investigate.

Speed and alcohol aren’t believed to be a factor.