Man injured in weekend storm

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While storms over the weekend didn’t appear to cause much damage in town, a recreation site on Voght Valley Road was left in shambles after 30 to 40 trees were downed by high winds, injuring one man.

Merritt RCMP were called at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday to assist after one of the trees fell on the man at the Boss Davis forestry recreation site, which is about one hour south of Merritt off Kane Valley Road.

“I’ve heard conflicting stories about whether the man was in a tent or in a truck [when he was hit by the tree],” Const. Tracy Dunsmore said.

BC Ambulance confirmed the man was struck by a tree.

Dunsmore said the man was finally airlifted approximately one hour after emergency crews were told of the injury.

“By the time the ambulance got out there and realized they couldn’t get through,  they had to make some calls to get the air ambulance,” Dunsmore said. “At the time, they said they were non-life-threatening injuries.”

The man was eventually taken by ambulance to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

Police weren’t called to any other weather-related event over the weekend, Dunsmore added.

“That was really the only area that got hit,” she said. “Everywhere else got lots of rain and some hail, but it was the trees in that area [that caused the emergency].”

Despite the high number of damaged vehicles from fallen trees, no other injuries were reported.

“There were quite a lot of trees that fell just in that one area,” she said. “The trailers and the cars, almost all of them got hit by branches and trees falling.”

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, VSA highway maintenance, conservation services and firefighters also attended.

Trees were also reported down on Mamit Lake Road, west of Merritt along Highway 8.

BC Ambulance Service were limited about what they would say about the man. They wouldn’t say whether he was from Merritt because “it would compromise the patient’s privacy.”