‘Extraordinarily slick’ conditions close portion of Highway 19 for several hours
NANAIMO — A portion of the Inland Island Highway north of Qualicum Beach was so treacherous on Tuesday morning that RCMP shut it down.
Central Island Traffic Services RCMP Cpl. Mike Elston says there were at least six crashes in 45 minutes along an extraordinarily dangerous stretch of Highway 19, about 3 km north of the Horne Lake exit.
He says the most serious crash involved a northbound truck that hit the ditch, forcing a man to be pried out by firefighters and flown to Victoria with serious head injuries. Elston says the man is in serious, but stable condition.
Elston describes the highway conditions at the time as an oddity.