Police have confirmed another fatal crash on Vancouver Island’s highways.
This past weekend, a tragic crash in Duncan claimed the life of a man following a two-vehicle collision on Saturday evening, adding to a growing number of fatal incidents on Vancouver Island highways in recent weeks.
North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP responded to the scene at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Boys Road at 7:08 p.m. on March 1st.
Upon arrival, officers found a Dodge Ram 1500 in the northbound lane and a Dodge Ram 3500 overturned on its roof in the Boys Road approach lane. Two occupants were trapped inside the overturned vehicle, while the driver of the other pickup had managed to exit before first responders arrived.
Firefighters and paramedics worked to extract the driver and passenger from the overturned truck, rushing both to the hospital. Sadly, the passenger, an adult man, was later pronounced dead.
Police closed the highway for several hours to conduct a forensic examination of the scene, reopening it to traffic around 1 a.m. on March 2nd. Investigators are still determining the cause of the crash but do not believe alcohol was a factor.
This incident follows several other fatal crashes on Vancouver Island in recent weeks.
Last week, two separate GoFundMe pages were created for the two young men who were killed in a serious collision on the Nanaimo Parkway on February 20th. The driver of the car made a left turn against a red light and was struck by a southbound semi-trailer.
Both young men, the driver and passenger, died at the scene.
On February 18th, one man died in a two-vehicle crash on the Trans-Canada Highway north of Mill Bay. The incident occurred just before 5 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 1 and Shawnigan-Mill Bay Road.
According to investigators, the driver of one of the vehicles is believed to have suffered a medical emergency prior to the collision. Two other individuals sustained minor injuries in the crash.
On January 30th, there was a fatal single-vehicle rollover crash on Alberni Highway in Coombs that claimed the life of a 36-year-old man. The incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. in the 2300 block of Alberni Highway.
First responders arrived at the scene where the driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was found critically injured. The man was transported to hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
RCMP are seeking additional witnesses and any available dashcam footage from the most recent crash in Duncan. Anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police is urged to contact North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at (250) 748-5522
