A fatal vehicle crash led to the closure of Highway 1 eastbound in Chilliwack for several hours on Sunday, Aug. 17.
The highway was closed between Exit 119 (Yale Road) and Exit 123 (Prest Road).
A vehicle rolled over into a ditch. When first responders arrived they performed CPR, according to a freelance reporter on scene. The person died on scene. RCMP kept the highway closed for an investigation.
The highway was opened at about 6:30 p.m.
Two other crashes took place in short order. One was in the eastbound lanes just past the original crash site. The second was further east, in the westbound lanes. In that instance, a commercial truck and trailer crashed into the cable barrier in the median, close to the Prest Road exit.
This caused a westbound closure to allow for vehicle recovery.
Traffic was heavily backed up throughout Sardis and Chilliwack as drivers rerouted through the city.
Chilliwack Flight Fest was taking place at the Chilliwack Airport, which runs along the section of highway close to the original crash site. The Snowbirds were performing a fly-by show at around 12:45 p.m., with several planes in close formation performing above the airport, city and highway.
RCMP have not yet released information about the original crash or injuries. This story will be updated when that information is available.
