PARKSVILLE — Two drivers and a young child remain in hospital but escaped serious injury after a high-speed crash along Hwy. 19.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on Monday, March 3 near the Church Rd. overpass and involved a southbound white Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by a Nanaimo man, crossing the grassy median and colliding with a northbound grey Toyota Prius, occupied by a Nanoose Bay mother and child.
BC Highway Patrol Cpl. Michael McLaughlin told NanaimoNewsNOW the crash occurred at very high speeds.
“It caused a lot of damage, both vehicles were destroyed. Miraculously, the drivers, and a small child in the Prius appear to have non life threatening injuries.”
Northbound traffic along Hwy. 19 between the Hwy. 4 and Hwy. 4A exits south of Parksville was detoured for around five hours as a result of the crash.
Southbound traffic was closed off for a short period of time due to an air ambulance landing on the highway to transport the drivers and child to the hospital.
Fire departments from Parksville and Errington attended, as well as Oceanside RCMP and crash reconstruction specialists.
McLaughlin said they’ve yet to conduct fulsome interviews with those directly involved.
“At this stage in the investigation, BC Highway Patrol really need to speak with anyone who might have seen that white Chevrolet pickup or the gray Prius in the minutes leading up to the crash, particularly if you have any dash camera footage, we want to figure out exactly how this happened.”
Weather was “excellent” at the time of the crash, according to police, but no other contributing factors have been ruled out.
The investigation will determine whether there was any criminality involved as well, McLaughlin said.
He added March is BC Highway Patrol’s provincial occupant restraint campaign month, and actions taken by the mother to properly secure her child in their car seat were instrumental in a relatively positive outcome.
“It’s really heartening that the driver of the Prius appears to have done everything right with her child in the back seat in an appropriate child restraint seat, she very likely saved her own child’s life.
Anyone with information or footage in the lead up to, or of the crash itself, are asked to contact BC Highway Patrol at 250-954-2953.
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