A 32-year-old Chilliwack woman who was airlifted to hospital following a multi-car crash Friday morning on Highway 1 in Abbotsford was released from hospital the following day.
A friend of the woman said she suffered three large cuts to her head, believed to have been caused by the roof of the vehicle caving in, and required several stitches and staples. She had no broken bones or spinal damage.
The incident happened at about 10:45 a.m. in the eastbound lanes, just west of the Highway 11 off-ramp.
Two separate accidents occurred. The first involved three or four cars that rear-ended each other in a chain-collision crash, as a result of slippery roads, driver inattention and speed, according to RCMP.
Traffic slowed, and it is believed that a van then rear-ended the Hyundai Accent driven by the woman. This caused the vehicle to spin and collide with a dump truck in the adjacent lane.
Other cars were also involved – up to 10 in total.
The Hyundai flipped on its side and part of it was pinned beneath the dump truck, requiring the driver to be extricated from the vehicle.
She was conscious and speaking with emergency responders on the scene.
The woman was transported to an air ambulance that had landed on the freeway a distance from the scene and was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital.
Three other people were taken by ground ambulance to Abbotsford Regional Hospital with less serious injuries.
Both eastbound lanes were blocked to traffic for some time before opening up to one lane. All westbound lanes were slowed to a crawl. The scene was clear by late afternoon. Alternate feeder routes were also backed up.