One person was taken to hospital after a three-car crash on the Malahat Monday morning that snarled long-weekend traffic.
About 11:45 a.m., a pickup truck lost a wheel just south of the Shawnigan Lake-Mill Bay exit and swerved across the highway, hitting a car and a minivan, said Shawnigan Lake RCMP Const. Ian Wetzel-Eden. The truck’s wheel hit a fourth vehicle.
The four vehicles blocked the southbound and northbound lanes, which closed the highway for about 15 minutes. Traffic was diverted to Shawnigan Lake Road.
Once Shawnigan Lake RCMP arrived, vehicles were moved so alternating traffic could pass through in one lane.
One passenger in the minivan was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries, Wetzel-Eden said. A toddler in the minivan was shaken up but not injured, he said.
“It could have been a lot worse if people were travelling at high speeds. But fortunately, because it was a construction zone, people were travelling quite slowly,” Wetzel-Eden said.
The vehicles were cleared from the scene at about 1 p.m., but the southbound lanes of the highway moved slowly several hours after the crash.
Wetzel-Eden thanked drivers stuck in traffic for their patience.
Speed was a factor in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Blenkinsop Road near Galey Farms around 3:30 p.m.
A silver 1964 Ford Ranchero flipped, landing on its roof. A 46-year-old Saanich man who crawled out of the vehicle suffered only a few cuts, said Saanich police Sgt. Brad Brajcich.
Saanich firefighters sprayed the dry brush along the side of the road to prevent a fire.
B.C. Ferries was busy all day, with a two-sailing wait from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen at 4 p.m. and a one-sailing wait from Duke Point to Tsawwassen.
Anyone heading out of Departure Bay for Horseshoe Bay was looking at a three-sailing wait in the afternoon. That was partly due to a medical emergency on the Queen of Coquitlam heading from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, causing it to return to dock at Horseshoe Bay.
That caused the Queen of Cowichan to leave for Departure Bay 36 minutes late.
