Alcohol and speed considered factors in overnight crash in Richmond

Speed, alcohol possible factors in Richmond crash Two women in their early 20s are in hospital after a serious overnight crash in Richmond, and police say speed and alcohol may be to blame.

Mounties believe alcohol and speed were factors in an early morning crash in Richmond, B.C. that put two young women in hospital and triggered almost 2,000 power outages.

The women were in a Honda sedan that slammed into a hydro pole on No. 6 Road at around 12:30 a.m., downing some power lines and sending the car rolling into a ditch.

Richmond RCMP said "significant efforts by emergency personnel were required to extricate" the occupants from the overturned vehicle.

The driver, a 21-year-old Surrey resident, was the most seriously hurt, suffering critical injuries. Paramedics performed CPR on her at the scene before rushing her to hospital.

Authorities described the 22-year-old passenger's injuries as serious but not life-threatening.

The collision also triggered a power outage that affected roughly 1,900 BC Hydro customers in the middle of the night. Crews were able to restore power within a couple hours to all but 62 properties, which remained without electricity throughout the morning.

The cause hasn't been confirmed, but police said alcohol and speed are considered factors.A stretch of No. 6 Road between Westminster Highway and Blundell Road was closed for several hours to make way for the police investigation.

The crash was just of several unrelated collisions that kept emergency crews busy overnight and put a total of six people in hospital across the Lower Mainland.

In neighbouring Vancouver, first responders were called to Main Street and 51st Avenue after a pedestrian was struck by an armored vehicle at around 1 a.m.

Police said the victim, a man in his late-20s, suffered serious injuries and the driver remained on scene.

Another crash investigation is underway in Mission, where a collision lead to one vehicle sliding down a small embankment around 7 p.m. Sunday night. Three people were taken to hospital in stable condition.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott