6 sent to hospital, teen in critical condition after two Vancouver crashes

Six people were taken to hospital after two car crashes minutes—and blocks—apart in Vancouver Saturday night.

The first crash happened in the intersection at Granville Street and King Edward Avenue around 11 p.m. when a black Nissan Xterra travelling north collided with a black BMW, according to police.

The occupants of the BMW were all teenagers—a 17-year-old driver and two 18-year-old passengers, the Vancouver Police Department said. The driver of the Nissan was 52 years old.

All four were taken to hospital in “serious and critical condition,” according to BC Emergency Health Services.

Police said in a Sunday news release that two of the teenagers had since been released from hospital, and that the 52-year-old “was not seriously injured.”

One of the BMW passengers—an 18-year-old woman—remains in hospital with “critical injuries,” according to police.

The VPD said investigators believe the two vehicles collided when the Nissan entered the intersection while the BMW was making a left turn from Granville Street onto King Edward Avenue.

About 15 minutes after the first collision, BC Emergency Health Services said it responded to another crash just two blocks away, at Granville Street and Balfour Avenue. Paramedics took two people to hospital in stable condition.

Sgt. Steve Addison confirmed to CTV News on Sunday that the crash was between a VPD cruiser that was responding to the first collision and a civilian vehicle.

He said both parties received non-life-threatening injuries, and added the VPD is investigating and the Independent Investigations Office—which looks into any incident where police action or inaction could have caused civilian injury—has been notified.

The VPD is seeking information from anyone who saw the Nissan before the first collision. “Investigators believe information from those witnesses, or from vehicles with dash-cams, could assist in determining the speed of the Nissan and the way it was being driven in the moments before the collision,” police said.

No charges have been laid, the VPD added. Anyone with information is asked to call the Vancouver Police Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012.