WATCH: A driver crossed the centre line of the Patullo Bridge during Thursday’s evening commute, plowing through dividers and hitting dozens of vehicles. Grace Ke reports.
The Pattullo Bridge has fully reopened after a crash damaging approximately 30 vehicles earlier this evening.
It happened just before 6:30 p.m. A woman from Surrey was driving northbound over the bridge when she crossed over the centre line and pylon dividers and collided with several southbound vehicles in Surrey and several more vehicles in New Westminster.
“She just wanted to overtake, and just slammed through the poles,” said Noor Makhani. He was driving in the southbound lane, afraid he would be hit by the car.
“The pole came, smashed her windshield, it smashed the other cars…I thought she was going to hit me head on.”
Several vehicles were hit by either the car or the flying pilons, but there were no serious injuries.
New Westminster Police said they arrested the driver for impaired driving and took her to the police station to gather samples of her breath. The woman has since been released.
Police said the impaired driving investigation is on-going with the possibility of charges being forward to Crown Counsel.
Gallery of the Pattullo crash (all photos courtesy Shane MacKichan)