Woman and child killed in 6-vehicle crash on Hwy 1 in Chilliwack

Two people were killed in a catastrophic crash that shut down the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1) through the Fraser Valley for 12 hours Tuesday night.

According to the BC Highway Patrol, the multi-vehicle crash happened around 2:40 pm in the eastbound lanes of Hwy 1 near the Yale Road exit.

Police have confirmed that the two people killed in the crash were a woman and a child from the same vehicle.

Another child from their vehicle was transported to hospital with serious injuries, but is expected to survive.

No other serious injuries were reported, the BCHP said.

The Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service attended the scene and are working closely with BCHP investigators to determine all factors that led to the fatal crash.

“The investigation is still in the early stages. Initial information suggests that one or more vehicles stopped abruptly due to an obstruction in the roadway,” explained the BCHP release.

“At least one vehicle failed to stop in time and caused a chain reaction of collisions. Impairment is not believed to be a factor.”

According to the BCHP, the collision involved six vehicles with a total of 10 people inside.

It shut down the highway until around 3 am Wednesday and caused chaos for people’s Tuesday evening commute around the Fraser Valley.