Chain reaction bridge crash blamed on pedestrian

A pedestrian walking across the William R. Bennett Bridge in the traffic lanes caused a chain reaction crash late Saturday night, Kelowna RCMP report.

On August 10, just before 10:30 p.m., RCMP received reports of a traffic hazard from motorists who passed a shirtless male walking westbound across the bridge, RCMP reported in a press release.

Officers arrived in the area to discover a chain reaction, rear-end collision involving a total of five motor vehicles, including a motorcycle.

“The motorcycle operator, a West Kelowna man in his 40’s, was fortunate to escape serious injuries after he was ejected from his Yamaha street bike,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “The impact of the rear-end collision ejected the rider from his bike and through the rear window of the Mercedes Benz in front of him.”