Traffic will now be able to resume on West Saanich Road after it was closed for several hours following a fatal vehicle collision on Thursday morning.
Saanich Police say the crash, a head-on collision between a white Dodge Ram pickup truck and a black two-door Honda CRX, happened shortly after 7:30 a.m.”
“A very serious collision, very unfortunate for this call to come in this morning,” said Cst. Markus Anastasiades with Saanich Police.
“The collision appeared to be a head-on collision, two drivers of the separate vehicles were involved… unfortunately one of the drivers was pronounced deceased and the other was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries”
Saanich Police confirm the drivers were the only occupants in each vehicle.
Officers confirm the next of kin has been notified of the person who passed away.
Traffic was stopped northbound from the Old West Saanich Road, and southbound traffic was closed at Prospect Lake Road.
The road was closed for several hours as crash analysts examined the scene.
“It occurred on a sharp concern of the road, and we are looking at all factors involved,” said Anastasiades.
Neighbours say it’s a dangerous turn.
“It’s like hairpin corner,” said witness Angelika Ouellette. “If someone comes around way too fast they are either over the line or back over the margin on the side… about a year ago a kid crashed and took out the pole. And to see how his car looked like he walked away he was lucky.”
Residents in the area have been raising more and more concerns about safety on their streets.
“We are aware of the resident’s concerns,” said Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes.
“The ICBC work that was done on Prospect Lake Road, well that’s now reduced to 30km/h… once the police forensic analysis comes out we will look at what more we can do [here]… traffic safety is a priority for this council unlike any other council before.”
There is no word yet on whether or not speed or alcohol was a factor. Both the Saanich Police Traffic Safety Unit and the BC Coroner’s Service are investigating.
If you were a witness to this incident or have dash camera footage and have not yet spoken to a police officer, you are asked to contact the Saanich Police at 250-475-4321.
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Rebecca Lawrence
