Emergency crews attend to a serious motor vehicle crash at the Cranberry Rd./Hwy. 1 intersection in Chase River. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

CRASH

Hwy. 1 closed after serious high speed crash in Chase River

May 20, 2021 | 9:13 PM

NANAIMO — Emergency crews shut down the Trans Canada Highway south of Nanaimo for several hours after a serious crash.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue, BC Ambulance and RCMP attended the scene at the intersection of Cranberry Rd. and Hwy. 1 just before 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 20.

One witness who spoke to NanaimoNewsNOW said a car began turning onto the highway from Cranberry Rd. when it was t-boned by a truck which ran a red light going south.

“Our light turned green, she went, the guy in the white pickup heading southbound at a high rate of speed in the fast lane hit her, spun her around three or four times before her car came to rest. He flew up in the air, spun around a couple of times then landed.”

The witness said he “would be surprised” if the car was travelling under 100 kilometres per hour through the intersection.

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Traffic continued to back up in the aftermath of the incident, with crews redirecting vehicles away from the scene via Tenth St. and the Nanaimo Parkway.

The highway reopened overnight.

An investigation into the crash continues.

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