BC Ambulance was called to the scene of a small plane crash in the residential neighbourhood of Hayden Place in Mill Bay at around 1:25 p.m. on Monday, June 28.
Six ground and two air ambulances were sent to the scene, which remained active through the afternoon. Paramedics cared for two patients. One was transported to hospital by ground ambulance in serious but stable condition. A second patient was airlifted to a higher level of care facility in critical condition.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which is responsible for investigating plane crashes, said the craft was a privately registered Beech G36 Bonanza. It was on a flight from Sechelt to Victoria at the time of the crash.
Jack Wilke, who witnessed the crash, said he saw the plane circling the area before it came down.
According to Laura Burger, a manager at Jusu Bar in Victoria, the pilot was her former boss, Bruce Mullen, and the passenger was his 14-year-old daughter, Caitlyn.
Mullen underwent surgery for several broken bones, Burger said, but is awake and able to move all his limbs. He was in the wreckage of the plane for much longer than his daughter, so doctors wanted to keep him under observation. Caitlyn also had surgery on her leg and was still being monitored. Mullen’s son, Brandon, has come out from Calgary to help in their recovery.
Mullen started the company in 2013 after his wife died of cancer. Nutritionists had recommended healthy fresh-pressed juice as part of her diet, something that wasn’t readily available commercially in Victoria at the time. The juice bar, Burger related, became her legacy.
“We believe she was watching out for him and Caitlyn on Monday,” Burger said.
The TSB is not deploying investigators to the site, but will continue gathering information and assessing the crash.
This is as breaking news story. Check back for more information as it becomes available.
