A motorcycle tour went horribly wrong for a Hopkins Landing couple on vacation in Mexico last Sunday.
Charlie and Ellen Blake and their daughter Natalie were on a motorcycle tour down the Baha Peninsula in Mexico when Ellen was killed in a horrible pile-up on the highway about 100 km south of the U.S. border.
Ellen was riding pillion with her husband. Natalie was riding behind on another motorcycle and escaped uninjured, while Charlie suffered heavy bruises and road scrapes.
Ellen was apparently thrown from her pillion seat behind Charlie and was killed instantly by a passing truck.
"It's just so tragic," said George Skea, a close friend of the Blake family. "I've spoken with Charlie a couple of times. I'm amazed with the courage he has shown. He seems to really have come to grips with the whole situation."
Skea said Charlie was given the runaround by Mexican authorities, and had it not been for the assistance of the Canadian Embassy in Ottawa, the situation could have been much worse.
"They were on the highway for six hours before police and emergency officials arrived," Skea said. "Charlie actually ended up in jail for one night until things started getting sorted out. When word of the accident got to us on the Sunshine Coast, we immediately contacted the Canadian Embassy in Ottawa, for when a Canadian is killed abroad, the local consul takes over."
Skea said the contact in Ottawa got Charlie legal and financial help as soon as possible.
"The Canadian legal personnel took over all of the dealings with the Mexican authorities, and Charlie could only sing their praises for the help he received," Skea added. "When we book our vacations and seek the sunshine, most of us never consider what could go wrong to spoil our fun in the sun. It is reassuring to know that help can be available in these circumstances if you know who to contact."
Calls to the Canadian Embassy in Ottawa by Coast Reporter for further comment were not returned by press time.
Despite the initial runaround by the authorities, Skea said Charlie and his family received great support from the Mexican people.
"The kindness, the compassion and the support they received from the local residents was simply overwhelming," Skea said. "The local mission offered free accommodation and meals for the duration of their stay, and Charlie was greeted with smiles and hugs as they walked through the town."
Skea said he has known the Blakes for 14 years. He said they are great people who loved to sail, loved the outdoors and loved travelling on their motorcycles.
"Charlie is a great fellow - this is a plain tragedy," Skea said.
