Northbound Peace Arch border crossing re-opens after fiery crash that killed one man
A Washington state man was arrested and then released after a fiery crash at 11:30 a.m. Thursday that killed one man just north of the U.S.-Canada border near Blaine, Canadian officials said Friday.
Sgt. Chad Greig, spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Surrey, B.C., said investigators believe the driver of a Porsche Cayenne SUV collided with a Toyota Sienna van, causing the van to catch fire at Peace Arch State Park, which straddles the border.
Its driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and the B.C. Coroner’s Service is working to identify him, Greig said in a statement.
“The driver of the Porsche, an adult male from Washington state, was arrested by Surrey RCMP officers at the scene and transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries,” Greig said. “In consultation with the B.C. Prosecution Service, investigators have released the driver from police custody as the investigation continues.”
The name of the Washington state driver was not released.
Meanwhile, the northbound Peace Arch border crossing between the U.S. and Canada was re-opened Friday morning.
That crossing was closed in both directions for several hours and the northbound lanes were closed for the rest of Thursday, forcing travelers to use the nearby truck crossing or those in Lynden and Sumas.
Anyone with information about the collision or with dash-cam video is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
This story was originally published May 3, 2019 at 8:17 AM.
