A 46-year-old Nanaimo man is in stable condition in Victoria General Hospital following a three-vehicle crash near the Jingle Pot and Calder roads intersection Wednesday.
The collision happened at about 3:30 p.m. when a Mercedes SUV travelling east on Jingle Pot Road swerved left into oncoming traffic and hit a Chevy Astro van head-on. The van was then struck from behind by a Chevy pickup, police said.
The man driving the van was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital with what police described as life-threatening injuries.
The 64-year-old male driver of the SUV was taken to Nanaimo General Hospital for treatment and released later in the day.
The male driver, 45, of the pickup received minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Police are saying the crash might have been the result of a medical issue with the driver of the SUV and have not determined if any charges will be pending against him.
"We're still looking at that stuff," said Cpl. Norm Smith, head of Nanaimo RCMP Traffic Services. "We have to make sure there was a medical issue and if there was or wasn't then we'll see where we're going from there."
The section of Jingle Pot Road was closed for several hours at RCMP collision analysts investigated the scene and the wreckage was cleared.