Three people have been taken to hospital following a serious crash that left one dead near Kanaka Creek Elementary

One person has died after an early-morning crash in Maple Ridge

MAPLE RIDGE (NEWS 1130) – One person is dead after a crash in Maple Ridge.

The collision happened after 5:30 a.m. near the Kanaka Creek Elementary school, just east of Lougheed Highway, and involved two cars — a 2014 Mazda 3 driven by a male with two others inside, and a 2011 Nissan Pathfinder driven by a female.

“Tragically, the male driver has passed away,” Mounties say. One of his passengers was airlifted to hospital, while the third was taken by ambulance along with the female driver of the Pathfinder.

The ages of the people involved has not been released.

The crash forced the closure of Kanaka Way east of Lougheed Highway. The route has since been reopened. There’s still no word on what caused the collision.

Hours after the crash, a man claiming policed had just called him to say his son was in one of the two vehicles sped to the scene. Officers took him to his home down the street where his wife is said to have been waiting.

Video of the scene in Maple Ridge where police are investigating a serious head on collision. @RidgeRCMP have released few details but had to. Insole a panicked man who arrived here looking for his son. He tells police his wife is home down the street. pic.twitter.com/S6WdXmt54G — Ash Kelly (@AshDKelly) March 15, 2019

RCMP Victim Services has been brought in to help the victim’s family.

Children and their parents were being escorted around the scene as investigators looked for more evidence. The crash left a stream of debris covering the road.

Dozens of evidence markers could be seen littering the scene Friday morning, where investigators also deployed a drone to help gather information.