An air ambulance helicopter touches down on Highway 1 west of Salmon Arm near Third Nations Road. (Jim Elliot/Salmon Arm Observer)

An air ambulance helicopter touches down on Highway 1 west of Salmon Arm near Third Nations Road. (Jim Elliot/Salmon Arm Observer)

Serious injuries sustained in Highway 1 collisions west of Salmon Arm

Air ambulance needed at two accident scenes that closed highway Monday evening

  • Jul. 23, 2019 12:00 a.m.

Highway 1 was shut down for several hours on Monday evening following two collisions resulting in serious injuries.

On July 22, at 3:16 p.m., Salmon Arm RCMP were called to a motor-vehicle collision on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Sunnybrae Road.

The occupants of both vehicles involved, a Toyota Camry and a Ford F-150 pickup truck, suffered serious injuries as a result of the head-on collision. The car’s occupant was transported by BC Emergency Health Services to hospital via air ambulance.

Read more: Single-vehicle collision closes Lakeshore Drive

Read more: Air ambulance called to Highway 1 crash near Tappen

While police were still at the scene of the first accident conducting their investigation, another crash just west of Salmon Arm on Highway 1 near Second Nations Road was reported to police.

The second crash involved three vehicles. A Volkswagen Jetta travelling west along the highway came upon stopped traffic and collided with the rear of a Toyota Highlander SUV. The collision pushed the Toyota over the centre line where it collided with a Mercedes SUV travelling in the opposite direction.

Occupants of the vehicles involved suffered serious injuries, with the occupant of the Volkswagen being flown to hospital by air ambulance as well.

Read more: Two dead in two-vehicle crash between Revelstoke and Golden

Read more: UPDATE: Second collision on Highway 1 west of Salmon Arm now clear

As a result of both collisions, the Trans Canada Highway was closed in both directions for about four hours to allow emergency crews to work and police to investigate both crash scenes.

The investigations into each collision remain ongoing at this time.


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Salmon Arm Observer