A crash that put a teenage boy in hospital and closed part of the Trans-Canada Highway in Coquitlam overnight is being investigated by B.C.'s police watchdog.
According to the RCMP, the 17-year-old was speeding down the westbound HOV lane of Highway 1 at around 8:15 p.m. Monday when a traffic officer pulled him over. The boy then allegedly got out and ran across the highway, where he was struck by an eastbound vehicle.
"One of the occupants, believed to be the driver, got out of the pulled over vehicle, hopped the concrete divider barrier and ran in front of … traffic," the RCMP said in a news release.
He was rushed to hospital in an advanced life support ambulance, and is in serious condition. The driver who hit him was not injured.
The Independent Investigations Office, which his tasked with probing any police-involved incident that results in death or serious harm, told CTV News it was contacted by Coquitlam RCMP immediately after the crash.
The IIO is asking anyone who might have witnessed the crash to contact investigators.
Monday's collision forced authorities to close the Trans-Canada in both directions for about an hour, and the highway didn't fully reopen until nearly 3 a.m.
A Volkswagen Beetle could be seen stopped in the westbound lanes after the crash.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
