A woman who was seriously injured in a collision with a fuel truck that shut down the Malahat Highway is in a medically induced coma, according to family members.
It's unclear exactly what happened, but the fuel tanker collided with a white transit van on the highway near Finlayson Arm Road just before 11 a.m. Thursday.
While the truck driver suffered injuries described as minor, the woman driving the van was seriously hurt and rushed to hospital.
CTV News has learned the woman is a courier driver and was on the job when the crash occurred.
According to family, she suffered multiple fractures to her legs, broke both knees and her pelvis was shattered.
She's been put into a medically induced coma at Victoria General Hospital due to the severity of her injuries and is expected to have surgery on her lower leg fractures today.
She'll then be brought of the induced coma so doctors can assess her pain management.
Depending on how she responds, further surgery on her upper legs will take place tomorrow.
The crash shut down the highway in both directions at Goldstream Provincial Park, effectively trapping thousands of drivers on either side of the Malahat for more than 12 hours as emergency crews cleared the crash scene.
The fuel truck involved in the crash belongs to F.A.S. Fuels, a small family business, the company told CTV News.
It said the driver was returning from Nanaimo after picking up a new company vehicle when the crash occurred.
The Malahat Highway reopened at around 12:40 a.m. Friday morning.
