A 19-year-old man from Powell River died of severe head injuries after his car crashed in Halfmoon Bay last weekend.
Marcus Haynes was driving alone, headed north on Hwy. 101., when his small red car went off the road to the left just past the north end of Mercer Road. The car left no obvious skid marks and ended up in the bush where it was difficult to see. As a result, Haynes probably lay in his car for half a day or more, critically injured, before help came.
Sgt. Danny Willis of the Sunshine Coast RCMP said it was likely the accident happened some time on Saturday night, but it was not discovered until a passing motorist noticed the wreck around 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
"It wasn't evident unless you happened to look in the right spot at the right time," said Willis.
The driver who discovered the wreck phoned 911. A Halfmoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department crew was the first on the scene, said fire chief Greg Phelps.
"We had to cut some bushes out of the way to get to the car," said Phelps. "The ambulance arrived a couple of minutes after we arrived. They stabilized him and got him out of the car, then Medivaced him out."
Traffic was stopped for more than an hour Sunday afternoon while a helicopter ambulance landed at the intersection of Hwy. 101 and Mercer Road and paramedics transferred Haynes to the helicopter. After a stop at St. Mary's Hospital in Sechelt, the helicopter took Haynes to Vancouver General Hospital, where he later died.
The driver was not wearing his seat belt, said Willis, which likely contributed to the severity of his head injuries.
