A man is dead and two people have been taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries following a fatal crash on the Island Highway near Courtenay.
The crash happened just north of Buckley Bay at around 1 p.m. Monday, shutting down northbound lanes of Highway 19 for several hours.
It’s unclear exactly what happened, but two vehicles could be seen in a northbound lane when emergency crews responded.
The BC Coroners Service confirmed a male passenger was killed in the crash.
Two people had to be extricated from one of the vehicles by firefighters and were sent to hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
The roads were wet and heavy rain was coming down at the time of the crash.
While crews were investigating the first crash, a northbound vehicle lost control and skidded into the centre median.
The driver of that vehicle was taken to hospital suffering from chest pains.
Traffic was diverted onto the Old Island Highway as crews dealt with the scene, and northbound lanes on Highway 19 were reopened just before 4:30 p.m.
