Traffic was backed up on the Trans-Canada Highway on Wednesday due to a two-vehicle crash near Bench Road.
The collision occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. when a northbound 2009 Subaru Impreza lost control while attempting to pass a vehicle already traveling in the lefthand lane. The zig-zag passing manoeuvre caused the Subaru to spin out and end up on the shoulder, but not before rear-ending a large linen truck driving in front of it.
“The linen truck takes a very quick left, goes up over the median, crosses two lanes of traffic and ends up in the ditch against I think it’s a tree. And these are at highway speeds,” said Cpl. Krista Hobday of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP.
At the time there was no immediate oncoming southbound traffic.
“It would have been an absolute disaster if anyone had been coming. There would have been fatalities,” said Hobday.
One person was sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The Subaru driver, a 40-year-old man from Victoria, faces a pending charge of making an unsafe lane change. Hobday was not aware of any other charges investigators are looking into.
According to Hobday, road conditions were not a contributing factor in the accident, as it was not raining at the time and road was dry.
Hobday urges other motorists to drive with caution.
“Drive within your skill set. Drive within the rules of the road. And don’t be in a hurry to get where you’re going,” she said. “He was in a hurry to get past that vehicle and he never ended up getting past him.”
In B.C., drivers charged with making an unsafe lane change face a $109 fine and two penalty points.
