Teen driver charged in 250 km/h collision

A man accused of driving at more than 250 km/h has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm in connection with a crash in Vancouver last year.

At 3 a.m. on April 12, the driver of a Mercedes crashed into the front yard of a home on Southwest Marine Drive near 57th Avenue. It took police nearly an hour to locate the wreckage of the vehicle, said Const. Brian Montague.

“I was shocked we didn’t pull two dead bodies out of there,” Montague said Wednesday.

He said the car was speeding westbound when it crossed the centre line into the oncoming lane and went through the intersection before plowing through trees and shrubbery.

“If the car had hit another vehicle, at that speed, it would have turned the two cars to dust,” Montague said.

The driver was treated and released from hospital the following day, but the 17-year-old passenger suffered multiple serious injuries, including brain swelling, facial fractures and possible eye damage.

Montague said the driver was living in Richmond, but is a Chinese national. He returned to China before police completed their investigation into the high-speed crash, but recently returned to Vancouver. He was arrested at the airport on an outstanding warrant.

The man had returned to participate in a swearing-in ceremony to become a Canadian citizen.

“I imagine that is on hold,” Montague said.

Yue Hui Wang, 19, was ordered to surrender his passport, and his bail conditions include not being found in the driver’s seat of any vehicle.