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Accident on Vancouver Island after artillery gun rolls down hill and damages taxi

Witness says accident happend about 1 p.m. Saturday; RCMP investigating
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A military gun hit a taxi this afternoon at the intersection of Comox Road and Terminal Avenue. (MIKE HAYDUKEWICH photo)

A Vancouver Island man says he avoided crashing into an artillery gun Saturday afternoon in an accident involving the gun and a taxi.

Mike Haydukewich said the accident occurred around 1 p.m. at the Comox Road and Terminal Avenue intersection, in Nanaimo, B.C., when he was headed north on Terminal. He said he and his girlfriend were in range of the accident, as there was one truck in front of them at the light.

The gun came loose from a six-wheeled unit and while army members chased after it down Comox Road, it was soon out of their reach. It scraped against the side of a taxi, which acted as a brake, said Haydukewich.

“The tire rubbing along the entire side of the taxi, slowed it down, then it spun, and that thing, it’s centre is about 12 feet one way and 10 feet the other way … it actually hit [a Volkswagen Beetle] to stop,” Haydukewich said.

“We were lucky,” said Haydukewich. “If it was a green light, it would’ve hit us. That’s how close it was.”

Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said there were no injuries and police are investigating.

No one from A C Taxi was available for comment.

A message was left with the Canadian Armed Forces.



reporter@nanaimobulletin.com

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Karl Yu

About the Author: Karl Yu

After interning at Vancouver Metro free daily newspaper, I joined Black Press in 2010.
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