A pair of crashes brought emergency crews to the same stretch of Highway 99 in South Surrey twice in three days.
Luckily, neither incident resulted in serious injury.
One driver in his 50s, however, lost his right to drive for the next three months, after failing two roadside breath tests at the scene.
Cpl. Mike Halskov with the RCMP’s traffic services unit said an impaired driving investigation began after police were called to a single-vehicle collision on the highway, south of King George Boulevard, at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 2).
#BCHwy99 SB CLOSED due to vehicle accident south of King George Blvd. Crews are en route. Expect major delays due to congestion. #SurreyBC
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) February 5, 2019
The crash involving a southbound driver scattered debris, including tires, across the highway and left passersby with the impression that more than one vehicle was involved.
“It was a single-vehicle collision, but the way he collided with the barrier… it ripped the truck apart,” Halskov said.
Witnesses reported having seen the vehicle weaving on the highway prior to the crash, Halskov added. He said it is fortunate that injuries were only minor – on average 68 people die on B.C. roads every year due to impaired driving.
“Thankfully, he didn’t take anybody with him,” Halskov said.
In addition to issuing a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition, police impounded the badly damaged vehicle for 30 days.
The second collision occurred just before 7 a.m. today (Tuesday), when a southbound vehicle merging onto the highway “made contact with a transport truck somehow.”
One person was taken to hospital as a precaution, and investigation is ongoing, Halskov said.
