TWO of the six persons injured in a multi-vehicle collision just after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the 2700-block of Lougheed Highway are dead.
Coquitlam RCMP said that the stretch of Lougheed between Como Lake and Pitt River Road was shut down for several hours through Tuesday evening rush while members of the Coquitlam RCMP Coordinated Collision Investigation Team (CCIT) and General Duty processed the scene and interviewed witnesses.
Police said that at this point it appears that an unoccupied earth mover rolled down an incline from a construction site onto the highway where it collided with two vehicles resulting in six people being taken to hospital with various injuries and two fatalities—the male operator of the earth mover and a female passenger in one of the vehicles that was hit.
Police said that at this point no further information would be released about the victims, including the status of the injured.
The Coquitlam RCMP CCIT will be working with WorkSafe BC to investigate the collision and there will be updates as they become available.
The Coquitlam RCMP said they would like thank the bystanders and witnesses on scene who helped their members. They would also like to thank commuters and local residents for their understanding during the lengthy road closure.