Investigators say the quick actions of a truck driver likely saved the other driver's life in a serious collision that closed Highway 19 near Nanaimo for more 10 hours on Wednesday.
The collision happened just after 6 a.m. Wednesday morning on the Nanaimo Parkway, when a Toyota Venza SUV heading northbound turned into the southbound lanes - directly into the path of a semi-trailer truck.
C-FAX 1070's Al Ferraby spoke with S/Sgt. Darwin Tetreault of Nanaimo RCMP about the incident.
S/Sgt. Tetreault says the truck driver swerved left to avoid a head-on-head on collision, and then swerved right, causing the truck and trailer to flip onto its side. The SUV then collided with the semi-trailer. Both vehicles ended up coming to rest in the northbound lanes.
"The semi driver ended up pinned against a rock face, the cement K-Rails and the inside of the vehicle". - S/Sgt. Darwin Tetreault
It took emergency crews more than two hours to free him from the wreckage.
An air ambulance took the driver to Victoria General Hospital. RCMP say he suffered "life-changing", but not life-threatening injuries.
Investigators say the SUV driver has relatively minor injuries. They add he is lucky to be alive.
Tetreault credits the truck driver's split-second action as the main reason why the SUV driver escaped relatively unharmed.
Tetreault told CFAX listeners: The driver of the semi-truck is a hero. He saved this guy's life by avoiding a head-on collision at highway speed - by turning left at the last moment."
Nanaimo Parkway Southbound lanes opened around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Northbound lanes re-opened at 5 p.m.
Police have yet to determine the exact cause of the collision.
Tetreault says three search warrants may be issued, one for the SUV driver's medical records, and two for inspections on the Toyota Venza SUV.
Listen to the full interview here: