This morning’s traffic accident that closed a stretch of Highway 99 south of Pemberton involved a local off-duty police officer and left one driver in critical condition, the RCMP has confirmed.
In a release Monday afternoon, Feb. 21, Pemberton RCMP said the off-duty Mountie was travelling northbound on Highway 99 near the Soo River Forest Service Road just before 7 a.m. when "a collision occurred between his vehicle and a southbound vehicle."*
The officer was taken by ambulance to a local health care centre for treatment, while the driver of the other vehicle, who friends have identified as a Pemberton resident, was airlifted to hospital in critical condition.
The Lower Mainland Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service is investigating the collision, while B.C.’s civilian police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office of BC, has also been called in to investigate whether “police actions are linked to the driver’s injuries,” the release went on. With the matter now in the hands of the IIO, the RCMP said it would not be providing further comment.
A section of Highway 99 between Soo Valley Road and Nairn Falls Park Road was closed for much of the day as the investigation was ongoing. At press time, DriveBC reports the roadway has been cleared in both directions.
For more information on the IIO, visit iiobc.ca.
*This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the wording of the release.
