Two people were injured – one critically – in a head-on collision that closed Evans Road for eight hours Tuesday.
Police say a black Nissan Maxima, driven by a 37-year-old Chilliwack man, was travelling southbound at around 12:30 p.m. when it crossed the centre line and into the path of oncoming traffic.
It struck a white Honda Civic, driven by a 24-year-old Chilliwack man.
Emergency workers had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate both drivers.
The 37-year-old was taken to Chilliwack General Hospital with serious leg injuries.
The driver of the Civic meanwhile, was trapped in his vehicle for nearly an hour as firefighters struggled to cut him free.
He was eventually evacuated by air ambulance to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster with what police described as “critical, life-threatening injuries.”
He has since undergone surgery and is in stable condition.
Police have not released the names of either driver. However, The Progress has been able to confirm that the 24-year-old is former Sardis secondary student Dyllan Egilson. Since the accident there has been an outpouring of support on social media for the young man.
Traffic was diverted from Evans Road between Knight and Stevenson Streets until 8 p.m. as the RCMP Integrated Crash Analysis Reconstruction Section examined the collision site.
The collision remains under investigation by Chilliwack RCMP Traffic Services.
Chilliwack RCMP is asking anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611.