One person is in hospital following a serious head-on collision involving a sport utility vehicle and a sedan in south Nanaimo yesterday afternoon.
The accident took place around 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Cedar Road and Highway 1. According to the Nanaimo RCMP, the incident resulted in the driver of the sedan, a 35-year-old male, being transported to Victoria General Hospital with critical, but non-life threatening injuries. Meanwhile, the driver of the SUV, a 29-year-old female, was treated on scene for minor injuries.The collision also resulted in the closure of all southbound traffic along Highway 1, causing significant backups and delays. The RCMP also closed off access to the Nanaimo Parkway and Highway 1 southbound from Cedar Road. Eventually, traffic was able to get through as officers controlled traffic movement through the intersection.Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, told the News Bulletin that the intersection is one of the busiest in Nanaimo and that it took crews nearly four hours to process the scene and allow traffic to return to normal. "The accident came in at about 12:30 and traffic was resumed north and southbound by about 4 p.m.," O'Brien said.
A serious car accident at Cedar Road and TCH has resulted in heavy traffic. #Nanaimo pic.twitter.com/uNfy8eLuka
— Nicholas M Pescod (@npescod) August 22, 2016
There were number of complaints from motorists about the closure and slow reopening of the southbound lanes along Highway 1 according to O'Brien, who said the RCMP have to take their time processing the scene. "There is a job that has to be done and it has to be done safely," he said. "That may inconvenience you, but that is life."No charges are being considered at the moment.
"We are still gathering evidence," O'Brien said. "We are waiting on the traffic analyst report, mechanical inspections on the vehicle and witness statements."