Okanagan driver describes driving through rockslide

Rodger MacDonald was driving from Revelstoke to Kelowna on Wednesday when a boulder crashed onto the highway, exploding into pieces.

“It was a big bang,” MacDonald said.

“It split, went in front of the van or underneath it, and hit right here,” he said, pointing to a gash above his front tire.

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MacDonald said he couldn’t stop driving at the time because it wasn’t safe, but he watched as the truck behind him swerved to avoid an accident.

“I didn’t even know I [had been] hit until I stopped. It was so noisy running over the rocks.”

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When MacDonald could finally pull over, he saw the damage.

“The rock splattered all across the front, tore the whole bottom end of the van out. The oil filter, transmission, gas tank, everything, so it was spraying oil all over so I just limped into Sicamous,” he said.

MacDonald said the larger boulder that blocked the highway near Three Valley Gap west of Revelstoke came crashing down just after he passed the scene, but it hit close to home.

“I was lucky. I was lucky. If that had hit the van, I’d be finished,” MacDonald said.

“That would have just crushed the whole van because it landed right where the van was,” he said.