The mayor of Coquitlam has spoken out after a head-on collision that left a 30-year-old woman and two young girls dead Friday evening, calling the incident the community’s “worst nightmare.”
“(First responders) saw horrific things last night,” Mayor Richard Stewart said on Saturday. “They see it regularly enough, but my goodness, this was among the worst I’ve ever seen.”
The three-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 6:20 p.m. on Lougheed Highway just east of Pitt River Road.
In a statement released Saturday morning, the RCMP said the woman was in one vehicle and the two children, aged three and nine, were in another.
Staff Sgt. Dan Guilfoyle told CTV Vancouver five other people were taken to hospital as a result of the crash, describing the situation as “a horrible, horrible, tragic evening.”
The extent of their injuries is unknown.
“It’s a tragedy for the families and our hearts go out to them,” Guilfoyle said.
They have not identified the victims.
Police kept the road closed for several hours as police tried to piece together what happened.
There is no centre barrier on the busy stretch of the highway where the accident occurred. A double yellow lines and rumble strips are all that separate drivers oncoming traffic.
The RCMP said it could take weeks to wrap up the investigation, but alcohol and drug impairment have already been ruled out as factors.
“We will be canvassing for witnesses. We will be canvassing the area for any potential video of the motor vehicle incident,” Guilfoyle said. “Any avenue of investigation will be explored.”
Investigators are asking any witnesses to the collision to contact them at 604-945-1550 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
With a report form CTV Vancouver’s Ben Miljure
