Two people are dead and three are injured in a serious crash that shut down a busy downtown Vancouver intersection.
Police said the collision happened near Seymour and Davie streets around 5:30 p.m. Monday. A white Lexus SUV heading northbound on Seymour struck a tree and then a lamp post.
“This guy was just speeding ridiculously off the bridge and ended up trying to cut off and rammed into the tree trunk and then just flipped,” witness Holly Bligh said.
The two occupants of the vehicle were killed instantly. They have been identified as a 68-year-old driver and a 70-year-old female passenger.
Three pedestrians, all men in their 30’s, were also struck by the tree and debris. Two are in critical condition but are expected to survive. All three were taken to hospital with a variety of injuries, ranging from lacerations and bruising to a broken femur and punctured lung.
People who live in the area say speeding cars can be a problem as drivers come off the Granville Street Bridge into downtown.
BELOW: Vancouver police are looking for witnesses and camera footage as they piece together what happened in the moments just before Monday’s fatal crash. Grace Ke reports.
“Potentially we could have had three dead pedestrians too,” VPD Cst. Brian Montague said. “To have someone going at what appears to be at very excessive speed through a very busy part of the city is frustrating, it’s disappointing.”
– With files from Sophie Lui