It started as a two-vehicle rear-end collision and ended in a chain reaction that involved a total of 24 vehicles and 50 people in a pile on the Coquihalla Highway near Hope on Wednesday morning. The terrible series of accidents seriously injured five people and killed a driver and his dog.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Mike Halskov said the chain reaction started when a pickup truck collided against the rear of a stopped semi-trailer truck in the lanes heading north on Highway 5 on the S-turns. Road conditions were slippery and took many drivers by surprise, resulting in a chain reaction collision involving passenger cars, semi-trailers, tow trucks, an ambulance, an RCMP vehicle and a bus.
A man from South Okanagan in his forties and his dog, who were sitting in the pickup in the first collision, died at the scene of the accident. Five people were hospitalized with serious injuries; Only one remains in the hospital with broken bones and is expected to recover. Dozens of other minor injuries or non-life threatening injuries suffered.
CONNECTED: Coquihalla has reopened after leaving 1 dead and dozen injured
Halskov said the policeman who responded to the first crash was among the injured.
“As he approached the scene, he was forced to take evasive maneuvers and due to the difficult road conditions he also collided with the concrete barrier,” said Halskov. The officer’s vehicle was hit from behind by a semi-trailer that could not stop and injured the officer.
“[The officer] watched through his rearview mirror how he should be hit, ”said Halskov.
Police confirmed that treacherous road and weather conditions contributed to the crash, but speed in relation to the conditions was also a factor that contributed.
“The police want to remind drivers to drive according to the road and weather conditions,” said Halskov. “In this collision, slower speeds may not have prevented collisions because the highway is blinding ice, but slower speeds may have caused fewer injuries.”
Police thanked the volunteers and authorities who responded to the buildup on Wednesday morning. Investigators have received a significant amount of dash cam footage, but no criminal charges are expected at this time.
@ adamEditor18
adam.louis@hopestandard.com
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