B.C. Highway Patrol and Shawnigan Lake RCMP officers have reported a fatal motor vehicle incident that has resulted in the closure of Highway 1 near the 1200 block, located south of Mill Bay, B.C. Authorities have confirmed the death of one woman at the scene, while the cause of the collision remains under investigation.
The status of the three other individuals involved in the incident has not been disclosed, as per an official statement from the RCMP. The collision involved two vehicles in a head-on crash, leading to one vehicle plunging down an embankment and the other catching fire.
In response to the incident, B.C. Highway Patrol’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (CARS) team has been dispatched to aid in the investigation. A segment of Highway 1 near the Malahat Summit was shut down on Saturday afternoon, with an alternate route offered through Shawnigan Lake road, as per information from DriveBC. The road was anticipated to resume normal operations by 8 p.m. PT.
RCMP Cpl. Brett Urano mentioned that investigators are currently gathering evidence at the scene. “We are in the initial stages of our inquiry and are diligently working to establish the precise cause and contributing factors to this tragic event,” he stated. Urano has urged any witnesses to the collision or individuals with dash cam footage of the area to reach out to Shawnigan Lake RCMP for assistance.