Third death linked to Chilliwack crash on Highway 1
Posted December 30, 2020 12:49 pm.
Last Updated December 30, 2020 12:55 pm.
CHILLIWACK (NEWS 1130) — A third person has died following Tuesday morning’s crash on Highway 1 in Chilliwack.
Online condolences identify the victim as a correctional officer, who was apparently on their way to work at Mountain Institution when a car being pursued by police for going the wrong way on the highway collided with them.
RELATED: Two dead after Chilliwack crash on Highway 1
The driver in the pursued vehicle and passenger died on scene, while the correctional officer was taken to hospital with serious injuries where they died hours later.
RCMP in Chilliwack found the car going westbound in the eastbound lanes near Annis Road early Tuesday morning, and used a spike belt to try to stop the driver.
“The suspect vehicle continued to travel westbound in the eastbound lanes, then collided with a second vehicle travelling eastbound resulting in a fire. Officers attempted to extinguish the fire but were unsuccessful,” reads a release from RCMP.
“They were able to extract one person from the second vehicle who was transported to hospital with serious injuries, but were unable to extract the driver and a passenger from the suspect vehicle. They were pronounced dead at the scene.”
The Independent Investigations Office, B.C.’s police watchdog, has already started an investigation to figure out if police actions contributed to the crash.
