Two drivers in their 30s have died following separate two-vehicle crashes in Comox and Coombs one hour apart on Friday night.
A 33-year-old woman has died following a two-vehicle crash at a highway off-ramp intersection in Comox.
Comox RCMP said emergency responders were called to the Inland Island Highway off-ramp at Comox Valley Parkway around 9:30 p.m. Friday following reports of a collision.
The woman, who was driving one of the vehicles involved, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the woman who lost her life in this heartbreaking incident,” said Comox Valley RCMP spokesperson Const. Monika Terragni in a statement.
Police said the driver and passenger in the other vehicle received injuries described as non-life threatening and were taken to hospital.
Traffic in the area was significantly disrupted for several hours as police investigated with the help of a collision reconstructionist.
At 10:30 p.m., emergency responders were called to a section of Highway 4 near Kirk Road in Coombs to find a sedan engulfed in flames after it collided with another car.
Oceanside RCMP said that a preliminary investigation found that a Toyata Echo was travelling westbound on Highway 4 toward Parksville when it crossed the centre line of the two-lane highway and struck a Ford Focus travelling in the opposite direction toward Port Alberni.
The driver of the Toyata Echo, a 31-year-old Parksville man, died at the scene, police said.
The two occupants of the Ford Focus were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, they said.
Police said they have ruled out speed and impairment as potential factors, but the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Police ask anyone with dash camera footage or who witnessed the incident to contact the Comox Valley RCMP non-emergency line at 250-338-1321.
