Street racing was likely the cause of a high-speed crash in Abbotsford Saturday night.
According to witnesses, two cars were racing in a 50 km/hour zone near Maclure and McCallum Roads around 6 p.m. One vehicle, a 2009 Toyota Carolla, left the road and crashed into several stacks of lumber; the other car left the scene.
Mani Sharma of nearby business Absolute Lumber Products captured cell phone video of emergency crews at work. He said one of the two passengers had to be cut from the car.
“They had to use the jaws of life and cut the roof open [and] fold it over,” he said.
The two young men, both in their early twenties, were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Abbotsford Police Cst. Ian MacDonald said the results of the crash could have been much worse.
“There was an impact with a power pole, there was a fence that was taken down, and obviously there was an impact to this business,” he said. “It could have been much different and much worse.”
Witnesses in other cars and nearby businesses reported seeing a light-coloured compact car travelling at the same speed as the Corolla.
“When you have two vehicles in close proximity travelling in the same direction at a high rate of speed, you can make that logical leap to the suggestion that we had some street racing going on,” MacDonald said.
The drivers could face charges including excessive speeding, and police are now looking for the driver of the second vehicle. Surveillance footage from the area will likely help with the search.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Abbotsford police or Crime Stoppers.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Maria Weisgarber
