Van ‘smashed to pieces’ and ‘lying in a ditch’ after Sea to Sky Highway crash: witness

The Sea-to-Sky Highway was closed in both directions near Squamish on Tuesday night after a crash that happened at the Cheekye River Bridge, a short distance from the entrance to Alice Lake Provincial Park.

It has now been confirmed two people died in the crash.

The road re-opened around 2:30 a.m.

Richy Middleton was heading back toward North Vancouver after a day of skiing in Whistler when he came upon the scene, where about 20 cars were waiting.

WATCH: Crash on Sea-to-Sky Highway

0:34 Sea to Sky Highway closed after vehicle crash

From about 40 metres away, he said he saw two vehicles that appeared to have been involved in a collision: one a black van that looked like it was southbound, another a pickup truck that was likely heading northbound.

He said the van was “really smashed to pieces and lying in the ditch,” and that the pickup truck had a “direct impact right on the driver’s side.”

Laura Tamblyn Watts was on her way to a family gathering at a cabin in Whistler when she stopped on the highway close to Alice Lake at about 7:30 p.m.

She told Global News that she saw two vehicles that looked to have been involved in a head-on collision.

“It really looks like it must have been a horrific accident,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It really looks like it must have been a horrific accident," she said.

Watts had been waiting there (she was about the fifth vehicle waiting behind the collision) for about an hour and a half before a police constable informed drivers that the highway would be closed for some time.

She saw four ambulances leave the scene.

Watts stayed in a Squamish hotel for the night where the phone was ringing with several calls from people who were looking for a room.