The red Jeep SUV that struck two women walking their dogs in Central Saanich Monday night, killing one and leaving the other critically injured, might have been involved in another crash just minutes earlier, Central Saanich police say.
“It could be related to the fatal collision,” said Central Saanich Const. Michelle Joyce. “We’re not sure at this point.”
The department received information that the red SUV rear-ended a black sedan on Mount Newton Cross Road at Lochside Drive about 6:45 p.m., about 20 minutes before the fatal collision on Central Saaanich Road.
Investigators want to speak to the driver and occupants of the black sedan and anyone with information about the crash on Mount Newton Cross Road. Police ask anyone with information to call Det. Chad Vincent at 250-652-4441 ext.3063 report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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Central Saanich police are investigating “the sobriety of the driver” involved in a fatal crash on Central Saanich Road.
One woman died and her sister is in critical condition after they were struck by a vehicle that crossed the centre line and drifted into the opposing lane while they were walking two dogs on Monday night.
The women were walking on the shoulder of the northbound lane in the 7500 block of Central Saanich Road, south of Mount Newton Cross Road, at about 7 p.m. when a southbound SUV struck them, said Central Saanich Police Chief Les Sylven.
A 51-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her 48-year-old sister was taken to Victoria General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
One dog also died.
Police are trying to determine what caused the driver to veer into the wrong lane.
It was not yet dark and road conditions were good, Sylven said. The road is straight between Mount Newton Cross Road and East Saanich Road.
“We’ve got a long and complicated investigation before us, it’s a real tragedy. The sobriety of the driver is part of our investigation,” Sylven said, but added that speed, medical issues and the mechanics of the vehicle have not yet been ruled out as factors.
The driver was taken to hospital and discharged. Sylven would not say whether a breath or blood sample was taken from the driver.
A woman who lives metres from where the crash happened, said her son was standing on the road moments before the crash and saw the car start to drift into the opposite lane toward the women, who, he said, did not see the vehicle approaching.
He ran toward the women and tried to warn them, but it was too late. He tried to help them, but the injuries were too serious.
The young man was at the scene Tuesday, but was still in shock. He did not want to comment on what happened other than to say, in a quiet voice: “I tried.”
The woman, who did not want her name sued, said the driver is a relative of hers. She had lent him the vehicle that evening, a 2019 Jeep purchased a week ago.
“He was just supposed to pick up my son and come back for dinner and I don’t know what happened,” she said.
After hearing the crash, she ran to the road because she thought her son was in the car. However, the driver was the only occupant of the vehicle.
The women were sisters from outside the Victoria area visiting their mother, who lives near the crash site.
Their mother didn’t hear the crash, but went to the road when one of the dogs returned to her home alone, according to a neighbour who visited the scene Tuesday to lay flowers. Police stopped her from getting closer to the scene.
Marleen Sylvester, a mother of five who also lives nearby, said she went out to the road when she heard a big bang. She saw the smashed SUV and lots of commotion.
She flagged down some vehicles, one of which was driven by an off-duty paramedic who helped the injured 48-year-old woman by clearing her airways and stabilizing her spine.
Sylvester said she has long been concerned about cars driving along Central Saanich Road faster than the 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit.
“It’s quite dangerous,” she said. “My kids walk home every day from school and people don’t care about their speed here.” She said she’d like to see lights and sidewalks installed on the road.
Police are interviewing four witnesses who were either walking or driving in the area when the crash happened.
Sylven asked any witnesses who have not yet been interviewed by Central Saanich police to contact them.
Saanich police crash analysts gathered evidence from the scene and are leading the traffic reconstruction investigation. The SUV will undergo a mechanical inspection.
The B.C. Coroners Service is also investigating.
