Two drivers in their 30s died in separate two-vehicle crashes in Comox and Coombs one hour apart on Friday night.
A 33-year-old woman died following a crash at a highway off-ramp intersection in Comox.
Comox RCMP said emergency responders were called to the Inland Island Highway off-ramp at Comox Valley Parkway about 9:30 p.m. following reports of a collision. The woman, who was driving one of the vehicles involved, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the woman who lost her life in this heartbreaking incident,” said Comox Valley RCMP spokeswoman Const. Monika Terragni.
Police said the driver and passenger in the other vehicle were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Traffic was significantly disrupted for several hours as police investigated with the help of a collision reconstructionist.
At 10:30 p.m., emergency responders were called to a section of Highway 4 near Kirk Road in Coombs to find a sedan engulfed in flames after it collided with another car.
Oceanside RCMP said a preliminary investigation found that a Toyota Echo was travelling westbound on Highway 4 toward Parksville when it crossed the centre line of the two-lane highway and struck a Ford Focus travelling in the opposite direction toward Port Alberni.
The driver of the Toyota Echo, a 31-year-old Parksville man, died at the scene, police said. The two occupants of the Ford Focus were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said they had ruled out speed and impairment as potential factors, but the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Police ask anyone with dash camera video or who witnessed the incident to contact the Comox Valley RCMP non-emergency line at 250-338-1321.
