WATCH: Two people are in hospital after a high-speed crash in Courtenay Thursday morning. Police say a car was first seen weaving in and out of traffic before losing control and slamming into a tree. Dean Stoltz reports.
Two people were airlifted to a hospital Thursday following a crash on Highway 19A near Courtenay.
Two air ambulances ready to take two patients from a crash on Highway 19A near Courtenay.
One vehicle, a 2017-model silver Toyota, was involved in the crash that left two people trapped. RCMP say it appears the car was weaving in and out of traffic, and the driver was trying to get past all the cars as he went up Mission Hill before crashing into a tree at around 11:45 a.m. Investigators also said the vehicle was travelling at a high rate of speed, which was likely a factor in the crash.
“At one point he made a lane change and may have clipped another vehicle, which caused him to go out of control,” Sgt. Brian Nightingale, an RCMP collision reconstructionist, said.
A man and a woman were removed from the vehicle and were airlifted to the hospital.
“I believe the driver was the more serious injury and he was unconscious the entire time,” Nightingale said.
The aftermath of a crash on Highway 19A on Feb. 15, 2018.
After the crash occurred, two air ambulances were dispatched to the scene and were waiting for the patients at a nearby parking lot near the Real Canadian Superstore. There were also three ambulances and multiple firefighters on the highway at the crash.
The woman was extricated first while she was unconscious.
Multiple ambulances at a serious crash on Highway 19A near Courtenay on Feb. 15, 2018.
Ken Day said he had an idea about what happened as soon as heard the loud crash. Day has lived in the area for more than 50 years and has seen many collisions on that stretch of road.
“I have to slow down to get into my driveway and they?re just passing me and they?re going way faster than the speed limit,” Day said.
“People [are] in a hurry especially going up the hill, not so much coming down. because they know it narrows down to one lane up there so they?re trying to get by.”
There are no details on injuries at this time and police are still investigating the cause of the crash. The highway was closed for several hours after the crash but has since reopened.
Police are asking anyone who saw the silver Toyota Corolla moments before the crash is asked to call Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321.
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