A 20-year-old woman has died following a single-vehicle rollover crash in Nanoose Bay Wednesday evening, while Nanaimo RCMP investigate a separate fatal collision reported Thursday morning. The Nanoose Bay crash happened around 6:45 p.m. on Highway 19 near the Nanoose Bay rest area. Oceanside RCMP say the vehicle lost control while travelling north and rolled several times. Three people were inside the vehicle. The 20-year-old female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The 21-year-old driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries, while another 21-year-old passenger was transported to hospital in critical condition. Police have ruled out impairment, but the cause of the crash remains under investigation. “We are working with our collision reconstruction team and the B.C. Coroners Service to investigate fully the other causes that may have contributed to the crash,” said Sgt. Shane Worth. The northbound lanes were closed for several hours while police processed the scene. The highway has since reopened. “If anybody saw the crash or has dashcam, please contact us,” he said. Anyone with information can contact Oceanside RCMP at 250-248-6111 and quote file No. 2026-9053. Second fatal crash A separate fatal collision was reported Thursday morning near Lantzville. B.C. Highway Patrol says the crash happened just after 3 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Highway 19 (Island Highway North) near Ware Road. Police say a blue Kia Sedona minivan and a grey Volkswagen Jetta collided head-on. The two men who were in the Volkswagen died at the scene. The driver of the Kia, a 16-year-old girl from Nanaimo, was arrested at the scene for impaired operation causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. She was then taken to hospital with injuries that are described as not life-threatening. “Police have already spoken to multiple witnesses who say that the blue Kia minivan was driving north in the southbound lanes at the time of the collision,” Sgt. Michael McLaughlin with B.C. Highway Patrol said in a statement. “We need to speak to more witnesses and gather more video to confirm the exact sequence of events.” Police say the blue Kia was seen in Nanaimo about four hours before the crash happened. Investigators are asking anyone with dash-camera footage or who saw the minivan travelling between Third Street and Pine Street in Nanaimo and Highway 19 near Lantzville to contact them at 250-954-2953 and quote file No. 2026-28277. The investigation remains ongoing.
