Fire crews on the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on the Malahat on July 22, 2018.
Thousands of drivers were stuck for hours on the Malahat after multiple incidents snarled traffic on a busy Sunday afternoon.
For most of the afternoon and even into the night, traffic was backed up to Mill Bay Road.
The Malahat Summit north, about 3.7 kilometres south of Bamberton, looking east at 4:02 p.m. Photo Credit: DriveBC Highway Cam.
Traffic almost at a standstill from Mill Bay southbound on the Malahat due to an earlier accident #yyj #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/jop3JLfzxG
— Julian Kolsut (@juliankolsut) July 23, 2018
In the pile-up involving five vehicles, police say a driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel leading to a head-on collision on the Trans-Canada Highway past McCurdy Drive just before the Malahat summit at around 4 p.m.
Everyone involved managed to walk away with only minor injuries but police say could have been much worse and are now urging the public to stay safe. The busy stretch of highway, now under almost constant construction, has police worried and they want to remind people to drive safely.
“Please be cognizant on the road conditions, your own headspace and respect the speed limits,” said Cpl. Tina Chan of the Shawnigan Lake RCMP.
“Make sure you’re awake, mind the speed, be in the right headspace.”
Traffic on the Malahat started moving at 5:30 p.m., but drivers heading both south and northbound reported traffic remained at a standstill. There was also traffic in the area from the BC Summer Games.
At around 8 p.m. that evening, a car went off an embankment on Shawnigan Lake Road and sparked a fire on the side of the road. Police say speed may have been a factor and the investigation is continuing. The driver had minor injuries.
Kori Sidaway
