Speed, road conditions may have caused deadly crash on Vancouver Island: RCMP

A road crew working along Highway 4 on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Police investigating a two-car crash that killed one driver and seriously injured another on Vancouver Island believe speed and road conditions may have played a role in the deadly collision.

A statement from the Oceanside RCMP says officers were called to the crash scene on Highway 4, near Cameron Lake, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Investigators believe an eastbound Honda Civic lost control on “a series of curves” on the highway between Tofino and Port Alberni. The Civic collided with a westbound Chevrolet Impala and then burst into flames, the statement said.

The Civic driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 70-year-old Alberta man driving the Impala was extricated from the car and taken to hospital with serious and potentially life-threatening injuries, police said.

The surviving driver’s condition “has not been confirmed at this time,” Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said in the statement Monday.

“The deceased driver has not been officially identified; however, the family of the registered owner of the vehicle has been notified of the fatal crash.”

The cause of the collision is still under investigation but authorities believe speed and road conditions may have played a role.

“Every fatal crash is a preventable tragedy,” Staff Sgt. Travis De Coene said in the statement. “With winter weather approaching, motorists are urged to slow down and drive to the conditions.”

Witnesses or anyone else with information related to the crash is asked to contact the Oceanside RCMP at 250-248-6111.