Speed was likely a factor in a Courtenay car crash that ended with two people being airlifted to hospital in serious condition, according to Comox Valley RCMP.

The car, a 2017-model silver Toyota, was bobbing and weaving through traffic in the Mission Hill area of Highway 19A Thursday afternoon, witnesses told police.

Investigators say at one point, the driver changed lanes and clipped another vehicle in the process, sending it spiralling out of control and striking a tree on the side of the highway.

"The indication is there is a high rate of speed component to this collision," said Sgt. Brian Nightingale, an RCMP collision reconstructionist.

The crash ended up pinning the driver inside the vehicle for almost an hour. The man was unconscious the entire time, and was airlifted to hospital in serious condition along with a female passenger, according to RCMP.

"They're quite serious right now. I don't know the prognosis but they will be serious injuries on both occupants," Nightingale said.

The stretch of highway where the crash occurred has a 60 kilometre an hour speed limit, and police say the crash is a sign that drivers should maintain the same speed as other vehicles on the road.

Investigators are now looking for any witnesses who saw the vehicle on Highway 19A in the moments before the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call Courtenay RCMP at 250-338-1321.