90-year-old woman killed in hit-and-run on Vancouver Island, police say

Police on Vancouver Island say a 90-year-old woman has been killed in a hit-and-run crash.

A statement from Nanaimo RCMP says a passing driver called police at around 8:50 p.m. PT Saturday after finding the woman lying unconscious in the village of Cedar, about eight kilometres south of Nanaimo.

They say the woman was pronounced dead at the scene "despite the valiant efforts of bystanders who administered emergency first aid and first responders."

The crash took place along Cedar Road near Bennie Road, according to RCMP.

"Bystanders were applying first aid [and] first responders got there as well and they took over," Nanaimo RCMP reserve Const. Gary O'Brien told CHEK News on Sunday.

Police say the crash is being investigated as a hit and run based on evidence gathered by traffic services officers and an RCMP collision analyst.

The Mounties are appealing to the public for help in finding the driver in the fatal crash. O'Brien says there is most likely damage to the front of the vehicle and residents should look for any vehicles with new damage.

They're also asking drivers who were in the area of Cedar Road and Bennie Road between 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. PT on Saturday to check their dash camera footage for any insight into the crash.

It's the second traffic fatality in the community of 3,000 people in less than two months, after a 14-year-old died when the lawnmover he was riding struck a pick-up truck on Dec. 28.

O'Brien said Saturday's death is "going to rock that community."

Cedar is "very tight knit, everybody knows each other, and an incident like this will have ramifications for a long time," he said.