Police say impairment is being considered as a factor in a Thursday afternoon crash that sent two officers and a civilian driver to hospital.
The Abbotsford Police Department says a police vehicle carrying two officers and a civilian vehicle with one occupant collided around 4 p.m. PT near the intersection of King and Gladwin roads.
The civilian driver was taken to hospital by air ambulance with serious injuries, while the two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospital by ground ambulance.
Abbotsford police are investigating the crash alongside the Integrated Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Service.
“Impairment is being considered as a factor in this collision involving the civilian driver,” AbbyPD said in a statement.
The department also notified the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO), the province’s police watchdog, which confirmed it is investigating police involvement in the incident.
The civilian-led oversight body investigates all police-involved incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is an allegation of wrongdoing.
The IIO said in a statement that the police car was engaged in an unrelated investigation when the collision occurred.
It identified the civilian vehicle as a GMC Envoy.
Abbotsford police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have dash cam footage to contact the police department at 604-859-5225.
The IIO is also asking witnesses or those with footage to contact the witness line at 1-855-446-8477.
