UBC resident, 21, killed in ‘horrible’ west-side rollover
A 21-year-old resident is dead following a dramatic car accident early Sunday in Vancouver’s west side.
Just before 1 a.m., a Car2go Mercedes sedan was eastbound on West 16th Avenue near Discovery Street when the driver is believed to have lost control, veered off the road and smashed into several nearby trees. The vehicle flipped and came to a stop on its roof, trapping the sole occupant inside.
Those at the scene reported seeing pieces of the vehicle — including the engine — strewn up to 30 metres away from the car’s chassis.
The driver, a 21-year-old University of B.C. resident, died at the scene. It’s the city’s second fatal collision of the year.
Mayuko Peerless lives on the north side of West 16th and said she heard the sound of the “horrifying ” crash first.
“Oh, I heard it. It was a horrible boom and it just sounded like a million Christmas ornaments breaking,” she told Postmedia News.
“The engine ended up 20 feet from it and it was on fire.”
Peerless said she then rushed outside with her cellphone and called 911 when she saw an “upsidedown car and parts everywhere.”
Another person wearing a firstresponder T-shirt was at the scene and assisting the driver while Peerless was on the phone with a dispatcher.
“It sheared a tree, it landed on a boulder upside down — it was just mangled,” she said of the vehicle. “I heard the poor kid trying to breathe — it was the most awful sound.”
It’s not the first accident Peerless has witnessed at the intersection of 16th and Discovery. There are two lanes headed west and two others headed east on 16th, with an intersecting road that crosses the median and curves into Pacific Spirit Regional Park. A slight hill and incline sends eastbound vehicles into the intersection with momentum, which Peerless suggests might contribute to speed and could be part of the problem.
“I’ve emailed my MLA numerous times to do something about this corner. I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to run out there in my pyjamas, on the phone to 911,” she said. “I don’t know what it is about that corner. They do radar during the day and I know they can’t be there 24/7, but I’m thinking even lights would help. Maybe a big roundabout.”
Car2go spokesman Mike Silverman said: “We are aware of and very saddened by the unfortunate incident that occurred overnight. Car2go is co-operating with the police investigation as they seek to determine the cause of this crash, which did involve one of our Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”
Collision investigators remained at the scene early Sunday to examine the crash site, though early indications are that speed was a factor. West 16th between Trimble and Courtenay streets remained closed during the morning.
Anyone who saw the accident is asked to contact police at 604-717-3012.