Two women were treated at the scene for minor injuries

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – One person has been seriously hurt after a crash in the Oakridge area of Vancouver early Wednesday morning.

The collision forced Vancouver Police to shut down Oak Street between 41st and 51st avenues for several hours.

The VPD said the crash, involving a white Mercedes SUV and white Honda Civic, happened just before 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of Oak Street and 49th Avenue.

“The collision has sent one man — we’re saying the man’s from Surrey — sent him to hospital with serious conditions and life-threatening injuries,” Sgt. Jason Robillard said.

It’s still unclear what caused the crash, but Robillard added that investigators are able to say speed appears to have been a factor.

Two people who were in the Honda — both 20-year-old Vancouver women — were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

“It looks like the collision started at West 49th Avenue and Oak Street, and there’s quite a bit of debris that has been scattered for at least a block on Oak Street,” Robillard explained.

Investigators will be looking at all factors that may have contributed to this crash.

“I’m amazed that this wasn’t a fatality,” Robillard admitted. “But there is life-threatening injuries here on the driver of the SUV. But the fact that these two young women walked away, yeah, they are quite lucky.”

At least one collision investigator has described the scene as one of the bigger ones they’ve seen, he added, “with debris scattered throughout, including a utility pole that was severed.”

The city has also being called in to help with clean up and repairs.

Edie lives along Oak Street and said the sound of the crash was loud enough to wake her up. “I was just sleeping and not aware of the time but I did hear thumps — enough for my cats, actually, to jump out of bed. I didn’t think anything of it,” she said. “My windows are quite thin and you can hear the cars speeding back and forth. I have three kids so I get worried about them.”

Mercedes SUV seems almost chopped in half at 48th Ave. Metal lamp standard appears sheared off a half block ahead. A second vehicle is spun around by intersection of Oak and 49th. No move yet to move the wreckage. pic.twitter.com/ikTP3vBfK8 — Mike Lloyd (@llikemoyd) May 29, 2019

Live wires were also brought down onto what is normally a busy commuter route during rush hour. Investigators would like to speak with anyone who may have seen the crash happen who has not yet spoken with police.

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