Woman arrested after crossing bridge in wrong direction, causing crash

VANCOUVER — A 47-year-old Surrey woman has been arrested after causing a multivehicle collision Thursday night by driving the wrong way on the Trans-Canada Highway.

No serious injuries were reported in the bizarre scene, in which the woman managed to travel along the highway against the flow of traffic all the way through Surrey and even across the Port Mann Bridge before being stopped in a collision with a Coquitlam RCMP police vehicle.

The incident began about 7:45 p.m., when Surrey RCMP was alerted to a grey 2014 Honda Civic traveling westbound in an eastbound lane.

Shortly after the call, there was a crash in the 16000-block of Highway 1 when a driver swerved to avoid a head-on collision with the woman, hitting a concrete barrier before colliding with another vehicle that had two children in the car. No one was injured. Surrey RCMP followed the vehicle across the Port Mann, attempting unsuccessfully to get the driver, who was in “emotional distress,” according to police, to stop.

On the other side of the bridge, the Coquitlam RCMP opted for a more aggressive approach. The woman was brought to a stop through an intentional crash near the Brunette interchange.

According to Google Maps, the woman travelled about 10 kilometres in the wrong direction.

The incident caused major traffic delays. The woman has been released, but charges are being considered. As it ended in their jurisdiction, Coquitlam RCMP is handling the investigation.