UPDATE: The 24-year-old driver of the compact car involved in the Nanaimo Parkway crash has died as a result of injuries from the collision, report Nanaimo RCMP. More to come.
PREVIOUSLY POSTED: A report of erratic driving on the Nanaimo Parkway ended with a two-vehicle collision, serious injuries to both drivers and police pursuing impaired driving charges.
Nanaimo RCMP received a report at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, of a driver going southbound in the northbound lanes of the Nanaimo Parkway near the Trans-Canada Highway and Cedar Road.
Police, Nanaimo Fire Rescue and B.C. Ambulance Service crews responded.
Officers were in the vicinity at the time of the collision as they were attempting to locate and stop the suspect vehicle, described as a Dodge minivan. Unfortunately, the vehicle and driver were not located before the collision with a Toyota compact car, noted an RCMP press release.
The driver of the compact car sustained serious injuries and was transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital by ambulance.
Witnesses told police that the minivan driver, a 59-year-old Nanaimo man, was seen fleeing on foot shortly after the collision. RCMP Police Dog Services were called to the scene and managed to track and locate the suspect driver a short distance away. Officers attended to his injuries and when stabilized, the suspect was turned over to paramedics and he was also transported to hospital for treatment.
The crash closed the northbound lanes of the parkway for several hours while investigators examined the scene and collected forensic evidence. Both vehicles were too damaged to be driven and had to be towed from the scene.
“While only preliminary, investigators believe alcohol, amongst other factors, was a contributor to the collision,” said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, in the release.
The investigation is continuing and police are asking for any motorists with dash-cam video of the crash or the suspect’s driving prior to the collision to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
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READ ALSO: One person taken to hospital after Nanaimo Parkway crash
chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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