Three people are lucky to be alive after a head-on collision on the highway hear Parksville, and BC Highway Patrol is looking for help to figure out how it happened.
A white Chevrolet pickup crossed the median from the southbound lanes and struck a grey Toyota Prius going northbound on Highway 19 near the Church Road overpass just after 4 p.m. on March 3, according to a news release by BC Highway Patrol.
Both vehicles were destroyed in the crash.
"Miraculously, the driver and small child in the Prius appear to have non-life-threatening injuries," said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. "Anyone who saw the white Chevrolet pickup or the grey Prius in the minutes leading up to the crash needs to call BC Highway Patrol. We are particularly interested if you have any dash-camera footage."
The Nanaimo man who was driving the pickup was taken to hospital, along with the woman and her child, who are from Nanoose Bay.
"March is the provincial Occupant Restraint Campaign, and it’s heartening that the driver of the Prius likely saved her child’s life by using a proper child car seat in the rear passenger area of her vehicle," said McLaughlin.
The investigation is still fresh and nothing has been ruled out including criminal charges, McLaughlin said in a statement to the PQB News.
Anyone who witnessed the collision, or has dash-camera footage, is asked to call BC Highway Patrol Parksville at 250-954-2953 and quote file 2025-446.
