A transport truck leaking engine oil left a kilometre-long slick on the Malahat Wednesday morning, sparking a chain-collision involving five vehicles including a police cruiser.
The 18-wheeler left behind a trail of oil in the northbound lane near Finlayson Arm Road, which caused a pickup truck heading in the same direction to lose control and hit a barrier around 8:15 a.m.
A second vehicle slowed down to avoid the crash and was rear-ended by a third car. A West Shore RCMP police cruiser which stopped to help the three drivers was then struck by an SUV.
“Our member wasn’t in the vehicle, thank goodness, so he wasn’t injured,” said Cpl. Antonio Hernandez.
Traffic was snarled as West Shore RCMP, Langford Fire and B.C. Ambulance rushed to the scene.
The spill and resulting collisions closed the Trans Canada Highway in both directions until about 10 a.m.
The female passenger in the second vehicle was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Two vehicles had to be towed away.
Main Road contracting responded and spread sawdust to absorb the spill. The Malahat was fully reopened around noon.
Hernandez said it’s unclear whether the driver of the 18-wheeler would receive a fine, saying that’s up to the Ministry of Transportation.
The Ministry of Environment was contacted, but the oil did not spill into adjacent waterways.
