B.C. Highway 5 crash near Clearwater leaves 3 dead
Posted March 2, 2023 12:38 pm.
Last Updated March 2, 2023 12:55 pm.
Three people are dead after a crash near Clearwater, B.C. Wednesday.
According to the RCMP, two others are in critical condition after the multi-vehicle collision on Highway 5, which happened just before 11 a.m.
Mounties say their initial investigations suggest a Ford F-150 pick-up truck from Alberta crossed the centre line, side-swiping a Ford F-550 pulling a trailer, before crashing into a Ford Escape head-on.
The three people who died were in the Escape, while two others in that same vehicle were seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. Investigators say the driver of the Ford F-550 was not hurt and the driver of the F-150 sustained injuries that were not serious.
Two of the people who died have been identified as “recent refugee immigrants,” the RCMP says.
Premier David Eby expressed his condolences Thursday, calling the situation an “incredibly tragic and terrible circumstance.”
“We’ve received some very tragic news as British Columbians over the day today,” Premier David Eby said Thursday ahead of a conference about mental health and addiction supports.
“I understand that near Clearwater, a family has been in a very serious car collision that family members have died [in]. This is a new arrival family from Afghanistan, so the layers of tragedy are profound for British Columbians, for them, for their friends, for the people who care about them, and for all of us. Our thoughts go out to them, the family members in hospital right now, and thank you to the healthcare professionals supporting them. British Columbians are thinking of you and wish you the best.”
The RCMP says the crash shut down a section of Highway 5 for several hours as investigators combed the area.
It’s unclear what caused the Ford F-150 to cross over the centre line but police say “road conditions were not a factor.” Mounties note the driver is cooperating with police.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about what happened to contact them at (250) 828-3111.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the number of fatalities.
