Skip to content

Driver survives following serious Trans-Canada crash near Revelstoke

A man escaped with his life after a serious crash that closed the Trans-Canada Highway for seven hours on Sunday.
14765revelstokeDSCF8193
A driver was lucky to escape alive after his vehicle was totalled in a crash on the Trans-Canada Highway on Sunday.

A man escaped with his life after a serious crash that closed the Trans-Canada Highway for seven hours on Sunday.

The crash happened 14 kilometres west of Revelstoke at around 3 p.m. Cpl. Thomas Blakney of the Revelstoke RCMP said a westbound tractor-trailer from Manitoba crossed the centre line and collided with an eastbound car from Alberta, driving into a utility pole that held up the variable speed limit sign.

The car folded around the pole and was pinned there, said Blakney. Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services attended the scene and cut open the car to extract the drive.

“Unbelievably, the driver was extracted from the vehicle and, from my understanding, walked away from the scene and got into an ambulance with minimal assistance,” said Blakney.

The 25-year-old of the car was taken to hospital in Kamloops for treatment. The driver of the semi was not hurt.

“From what members told me, this was very serious and right away they were calling for a traffic analyst, who did attend the scene,” said Blakney.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but DriveBC did warn of compact snow and slippery conditions on the highway on Sunday. The speed limit was set to 80 kilometres per hour, lower than the usual limit of 100 kilometres per hour.

The highway remained closed until 10 p.m. while an analyst examined the scene and crews worked to remove the damaged pole.

The RCMP is reminding drivers to drive relative to road and weather conditions, and to make sure your vehicle has proper winter tires and emergency equipment.

“Vehicles travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway through this section of the province should be prepared for winter road closures due to motor vehicle incidents and avalanche control,” stated the RCMP in a news release. “It is suggested that vehicles contain extra food, water, clothing and necessities of life such as medications.”