A head-on collision involving two vehicles on Sooke Road near Cooper Cove sent two people to hospital on Nov. 22 around 7 p.m.
According to an RCMP press release, a westbound Mitsubishi Delica Van, driven by a 38-year-old Sooke resident, collided with an oncoming Buick Century passenger car, driven by a 38-year-old Victoria man.
Fire Chief Steve Sorensen said the jaws of life were used to extricate both drivers from their vehicles, which were severely damaged.
When fire crews arrived on the scene, Sorensen said the van was on its side, and leaking fluid and the passenger car was, “completely squished and over the embankment.”
Due to the damage of the passenger car, it took firefighters an hour to remove the driver from the vehicle.
“It was extremely difficult,” Sorensen said.
Both occupants were taken to Victoria General Hospital with serious injuries. There were no other passengers in the vehicles.
Sorensen added the situation could have been much worse had volunteer firefighter, Tom Warran, not arrived on the scene beforehand.
Warran came across the accident on his way home from work, and found the vehicle in the embankment on fire. He put out the fire with an extinguisher, and had a friend who administered first aid on the occupant until emergency responders arrived.
“You can imagine with all that fuel all over the road, if he hadn’t got the fire out quick, it would’ve been really ugly,” Sorensen said.
He said the crash, which shut down Sooke Road for four hours, took place in an area with a high incidence of motor vehicle accidents.
The accident was attended by the RCMP, BC Ambulance Service, and about 25 firefighters, who were performing regular training exercises at the fire hall on the same evening.
Sooke RCMP are still determining the cause of the accident, and anyone with information is asked to contact the detachment at 250-642-5241.