A 14-vehicle pile-up on the Trans-Canada between Revelstoke and Golden closed the highway from just before midnight to 9 a.m. on Mar. 26.
Sgt. Mike Pears of the RCMP Trans-Canada East Traffic Services said the incident started when a westbound tractor-trailer lost control in snowy conditions and jackknifed at the top of the Heather Hill, about 50 kilometres west of Golden, B.C.
Before long thirteen other vehicles piled into the truck or one another. They included nine tractor-trailers, three passenger vehicles, one pickup hauling a trailer and a rental vehicle hauling a trailer.
Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured, although several people were taken to hospital in Golden and Revelstoke for treatment.
Pears said three main factors contributed to the crash: the snowy conditions, driving too fast for the conditions and the location of the incident on a curve that obscured drivers' view.
Pears described the location of the crash this way: "You come around a corner and you're kind of on top of it, but people have to slow down still."
The RCMP, Parks Canada staff, BCAS personnel and tow truck contractors worked throughout the night to unsnarl the mess.
He said a snowstorm at that elevation is normal for this time of year and drivers need to be prepared.