PORT McNEILL — Nobody was injured when an unoccupied pickup truck rolled from a parking lot through a four-foot chain link fence, over a rock wall splashed down in the harbour last week.
"It was probably just a case of mechanical failure," RCMP Staff Sgt. Phil Lue said. "The owner said he'd left the truck in reverse (gear), and when the truck was pulled from the water it was still in reverse.
"Nobody was injured, luckily. When you have a vehicle go over an embankment that high and land on its roof like that, if somebody is inside you could be looking at serious injuries."
The owner of the vehicle, who was not named, was on his boat nearby.
The incident was witnessed by several people, including tourists and a number of passengers who were waiting to board the Quadra Queen II at the adjacent BC Ferries dock.
"It drew quite the crowd," said Lue.
Lue said two RCMP officers were just departing the ferry after its return from Sointula when the truck flipped into the water. They reached the site immediately and jumped into the water before breaking out one of the truck's windows to determine whether anybody was inside.
No citation or charges were issued in the accident.