A Coquitlam man said he is lucky he was not seriously injured in a hit-and-run collision Wednesday morning.
Bob Fortier said he was just turning the keys in the ignition of his blue four-door sedan when he looked up to see an SUV barreling toward him on the wrong side of the road. The collision caused both his vehicle's front air bags to deploy and pushed the car back approximately 15 feet.
“All of a sudden, there is a car coming straight at me,” he said. “Then kaboom.”
Still dazed after his head hit the air bags, Fortier said he was shocked when he saw the SUV go into reverse and start backing down his street.
“Luckily, my neighbour across the street has the security camera,” he said. “That is how we got the video.”
The incident occurred on Georgeson Avenue at around 8:20 a.m.
Fortier said there are only a couple of ways to get in and out of his neighbourhood and the area does not get a lot of traffic. That means that whoever was driving the SUV likely lives or has friends nearby, Fortier said.
He describes the vehicle that hit him as a grey-silver SUV. He added that his nephew, who has some experience with cars, believe it is a Nissan QX80.
All of the information has been relayed to the Coquitlam RCMP, who are looking into the incident.
Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said the SUV appears to have left the scene without its driver exchanging information with the victim.
“There have not yet been any arrests or charges and it’s too early to talk about more details,” he said. “Police are investigating.”
Meanwhile, Fortier said he is still in shock. He said his head hurts from hitting the airbag but he is otherwise feeling alright.
With the way that the driver fled, he added that it is amazing no one else was hurt.
“There are lots of little kids in our neighbourhood,” he said. “Little kids could have been out there.”
