Car crashes through barrier, falls from third floor of parkade on UBC campus

First responders were at the University of British Columbia on Wednesday morning after an SUV crashed through the wall of a parkade on campus and fell to the ground.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services Asst. Chief Jarret Gray told CTV News crews arrived at the parkade in the 6000 block of Thunderbird Boulevard around 10 a.m. to secure the scene and extract the driver.

He said the vehicle broke through a concrete barrier on the third floor of the parkade, fell vertically off the ledge and landed on its nose.

Ten apparatus, along with heavy and technical rescue teams, were sent to the scene, according to VFRS.

Public information officer Matthew Trudeau told CTV News at the scene that there were “numerous safety concerns” for crews and the driver as the concrete wall collapsed and landed on a high-voltage vehicle charging system.

The SUV landed nose-down, and the concrete wall fell on top of it. He described the incident as a “very low-frequency, high-risk call.”

Gray said that firefighters successfully extracted the patient, but did not disclose the person’s condition, adding “this is a police matter at this time.”

BC Emergency Health Services told CTV news the call came in at 9:25 a.m., and it sent two ambulances, an advanced care paramedic responder unit and a supervisor.

Trudeau said the driver—the sole occupant of the SUV—was put in an ambulance. However, paramedics said they did not transport anyone to hospital.

In an email, the B.C. RCMP confirmed that police were on-scene to investigate.

In a statement, UBC said its Thunderbird Parkade is closed, and does not have an estimate for when it will re-open.

“Drivers with vehicles inside will not be able to access their vehicles at this time,” it reads. “We apologize for the inconvenience and ask anyone parked at Thunderbird to make alternative arrangements to get home.”