Saanich police are investigating the cause of a three-vehicle crash on the access road leading into the underground parking garage at Uptown shopping centre.
The crash, which took place about 11:30 on a busy Saturday morning, sent six people to hospital and forced shoppers to come and go at other entrances.
A 23-year-old man was detained on suspicion of impaired driving by drugs, said traffic Sgt. John Price. The driver and a passenger in the front seat were admitted to Victoria General Hospital with minor injuries.
“We’re just getting some info from staff at the hospital that there may have been a medical issue with the driver,” Price said.
“But we haven’t ruled out that the medical condition may have been triggered by drugs, so the cause of the crash is under investigation.”
The Victoria police crash team was assisting with the investigation.
Witnesses told police that the three vehicles were crossing Saanich Road from Oak Street to enter the shopping centre.
A Ford pickup truck carrying a family of four went through the intersection first, followed by a Nissan car driven by a man in his 50s.
“The offending vehicle, the Mercedes, comes over the rise at 60 to 70 kilometres per hour, heading into a 15-kilometre zone,” said Price. “It struck the Nissan Altima, forces it into the back of the Ford pickup.”
The Mercedes slid between the two vehicles, past the driver’s side of the Nissan and the passenger side of the pickup, and stopped when it hit a lamp standard.
The family of four in the pickup was taken to hospital with soft-tissue and whiplash-type injuries, Price said. They were released after a few hours.
The driver of the Nissan was examined by paramedics and declined treatment. Both the front and back end of his car were destroyed. The car is a write-off, Price said.
A passenger in the back seat of the Mercedes was arrested for being intoxicated by drugs in a public place.
