Mounties say a couple of kayakers are lucky to have escaped serious injury after a man pushed a large log over a rock and onto their boats in the waters off Nanaimo, British Columbia
One man has been arrested in connection with the Aug. 6 incident near Jessie Island, at the entrance to Departure Bay.
The kayakers, a 43-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, told police they were paddling past the island around 6:45 p.m. when someone started yelling at them from the cliff above.
Police say the kayakers had a “brief conversation with the individual” and continued paddling until a few minutes later when they saw the individual push a large log off the rock, striking the woman on the back and knocking her into the water.
The woodpecker also hit the man, but he was able to stay in his kayak, police said Wednesday.
The man helped the woman to shore, where several witnesses reported the incident to police, RCMP said.
Mounties used a Nanaimo Port Authority vessel to visit the island, where they arrested a 37-year-old man for assault with a weapon.
RCMP say officers measured the log to be approximately 6 meters long and 20 centimeters thick. (RCMP)
The suspect was later released from custody pending an appearance in Nanaimo Provincial Court on November 9.
“This was a freak accident and given the size and weight of the log and the distance it fell, the log could have caused significant injury to both of them,” said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien.
Police say officers measured the log to be about 6 meters long and 20 centimeters thick.
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