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Wild crash on Pat Bay has car careening back and forth over median

Saanich police are looking for the driver of a vehicle believed to have been involved in a wild crash about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, near the intersection of the Patricia Bay Highway and Old East Road.
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Saanich police are looking for the driver of a vehicle believed to have been involved in a wild crash about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, near the intersection of the Patricia Bay Highway and Old East Road.

Police have determined that a 1990s Honda lost control while headed south on the highway, perhaps after a Mercedes bumped it from behind.

The first vehicle went over a traffic island, across the two northbound lanes, struck a cement barrier, then careened through the northbound lanes again and back to the southbound lanes.

“There’s evidence that there was contact between the two vehicles,” said Saanich police Sgt. Steve Eassie.

The 19-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Honda was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Eassie said it was fortunate that her vehicle was not hit as it went back-and-forth across the pavement.

The incident happened in the middle of the morning commute, Eassie said.

“Thankfully, no other collisions.”

Eassie said a similar crash couldn’t happen on most of the highway. “Pretty much the entire Pat Bay corridor there’s large median barricades,” he said. “This just happened at a location where there was simply a raised traffic island.”

Several people stopped to give the woman assistance, Eassie said.

The second vehicle initially stopped but then drove off. Eassie said the driver of that vehicle had an obligation to identify himself.

The incident delayed southbound commuters before the scene was cleared about 9 a.m.

The vehicle that left the scene is described as a light-blue Mercedes sedan possibly from the early 1990s, with its Mercedes emblem mounted on the hood. The driver was a man between 30 and 50, and appeared to be travelling alone.

Saanich police ask anyone with information to call them at 250-475-4321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

jwbell@timescolonist.com