Students and instructors at North Island College’s campus in Courtenay, B.C., are grieving the death of a student who died of a brain injury following a collision with a cyclist on the night of Sept. 16.
Carissa Wilson, executive director of the North Island Students’ Union, says Max Poley, 24, had worked his regular evening shift at the NISU Eats cafeteria that evening and was walking home when the incident happened.
Wilson says Poley was taken to intensive care at Victoria General Hospital and had been recovering, but then suffered an inoperable brain bleed and died on Monday.
“He was talking to family. He had even cracked a couple of jokes,” she told CBC News.
“But he was still drifting in and out of consciousness. And head injuries, you know, they’re really, really tough in the first couple of weeks.”
Comox Valley RCMP have confirmed they’re investigating the collision, and the cyclist has been identified.
B.C. Emergency Health Services told CBC News they responded to a call at 8:49 p.m. PT on Sept. 16 near the intersection of Ryan Road and Back Road.
One person was transported to hospital in stable condition, and another was transported in serious condition, said paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites.
Carissa Wilson is the executive director with the North Island Students’ Union at North Island College. She has started a fundraiser to help the mother of Max Poley, who died after he was hit by a bicycle while walking home from work on campus. (Maryse Zeidler/CBC News)
Wilson says Poley lived near Back Road, and often walked home down Ryan Road, a steep and busy thoroughfare in East Courtenay with a narrow, painted bike lane.
Wilson says a health worker told Poley’s mother that the cyclist was riding on the sidewalk when the collision happened, but RCMP have not confirmed that detail.
“We are still working to uncover additional details about the collision and all the circumstances surrounding the event,” said Const. Monika Terragni with Comox Valley RCMP.
‘A young man with lots of opportunity’
Wilson says she met Poley a couple of years ago on campus. She describes him as an “absolutely delightful young man.”
“This is heartbreaking,” she said.
“This has been a really big hit through our community on a few levels. Max was a young man with lots of opportunity in front of him.”
Max Poley was struck by a cyclist at night near the intersection of Ryan Road and Back Road in Courtenay, B.C. Ryan Road is a steep, busy throughfare with a narrow bike lane painted on. (Maryse Zeidler/CBC News)
Poley was studying office administration while also taking university transfer courses online, with plans to move to Vancouver or Victoria.
Wilson says they had talked about the spreadsheets he had created for all the books he had read, colour-coded and catalogued by genre.
North Island College says Poley’s death is a “tremendous loss for everyone.”
On Thursday, counselling staff were available at Tyee Hall for drop-in care. The student union is also encouraging those who need it to reach out to counselling services.
‘A really caring, gentle young man’
The student union has posted a sign near the cashier where Poley worked, asking for contributions to a fundraiser Wilson set up for his mother who rented a car and travelled the six-hour round-trip journey from the Comox Valley to Victoria to be by her son’s side every day.
Students and instructors alike have been sharing stories about Poley, Wilson says, and his contributions to the campus community.
“Max was a really caring, gentle young man who was really willing to have conversations with pretty much anybody,” she said.
Wilson says on Thursday Poley’s organs were gathered for donation for up to seven people.