5-car crash in Burnaby sends 5 to hospital, HWY 1 westbound reopens
Posted November 12, 2024 5:27 am.
Last Updated November 12, 2024 2:36 pm.
A five-car crash sent five people to hospital, two in serious condition, and closed Highway 1 westbound in Burnaby Tuesday morning.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!Burnaby RCMP Corp. Mike Kalanj tells 1130 NewsRadio that two people were taken to hospital with serious injuries, and a further three with minor injuries.
Mounties say five cars were involved in the collision that happened just before 3 a.m. east of the Kensington Avenue off-ramp. At least one driver hydroplaned, Kalanj says, causing a chain reaction.
“You can be going the speed limit on the highway, or on any roadway, and it’s still unsafe and you can get a ticket or a talking to,” Kalanj explained.
Images from the scene showed at least three seriously damaged vehicles, including a taxi cab, a Toyota RAV4, and another silver hatchback. All three have airbags deployed with debris strewn across the highway.
The highway closed to traffic around 3 a.m., and reopened to westbound traffic more than 8 hours later just before 12:30 p.m.
“Slow down, make sure you get to where you’re going. You’re better off getting there late than winding up in the hospital, like some of these people this morning did,” Kalanj added.
The Lower Mainland Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service was also deployed to the scene.
Crews were earlier on scene diverting traffic via Gaglardi Way to Lougheed Highway, but massive backups were being felt by commuters across the region.
The crash is under investigation, and police are looking into whether speed was a factor, however, they say impairment does not look to be a contributing factor.
The RCMP suggested previously that people should consider working from home on Tuesday.
“Police are advising commuters to plan an alternate route this morning. If they can work from home or delay the start of their work day, we suggest they do,” Kalanj added.
BCHP says 2 seriously injured victims were outside vehicle when hit
Corp. Michael McLaughlin with the BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) tells 1130 NewsRadio that while the investigation is in its early stages, it appears that the two serious injuries took place after the initial collision, “when people were outside their vehicles.”
“We want people to remember that any pedestrians are extremely vulnerable around roadways, especially after a collision,” said McLaughlin.
“Conditions were very poor. Not only was it dark, there was heavy rain and pooling water on the roadways, certainly that’s something we’re looking at as potential contributor to the collision. And speed has not been ruled out.”
He adds that there’s no evidence yet to suggest that impairment was a factor in the crash.
McLaughlin says that difficult road conditions affect driver reaction time, and exiting vehicles on highways can be dangerous at any time.
“We are seeing more and more that people want to help with these collision scenes. And unfortunately, they are vulnerable. And we are seeing instances where people are getting hit even though they weren’t involved with that initial collision.”
The BCHP is asking the public to provide dashcam footage or witness evidence by calling 604-526-9744 and quoting file 2024-3163.
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–With files from Sonia Aslam.
