VICTORIA -- Nanaimo RCMP are investigating a fatal crash that claimed the life of an elderly woman Thursday.
The crash occurred around 9 p.m. at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Cranberry Avenue.
Witnesses told police that a car was turning left off of the highway onto Cranberry Avenue on a green light when a pickup truck seemingly ran through a red light and T-boned the car.
Police say they were told the truck was "travelling at a high rate of speed and did not stop for the red light," by witnesses.
The driver of the car, a 74-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to RCMP. The driver of the Dodge Ram pickup truck, a 47-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in Nanaimo before being airlifted to a hospital in Victoria for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
"Although it’s early on in the investigation, alcohol and speed are believed to be contributing factors," said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O'Brien in a release Friday.
Police say the highway intersection was closed for roughly six hours while RCMP collision analysts and investigators examined the scene.
Both vehicles have since been seized for mechanical inspections.
Anyone with information on the crash, or who may have dashcam video of the area, is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP Traffic Unit at 250-754-2345 and quote file # 2021-18403.
