A man from Coquitlam and a woman from Burnaby are in critical condition in hospital Wednesday after their motorcycle collided head-on with a car on Cypress Bowl Road in West Vancouver Tuesday evening.
Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department, described the accident, which happened south of the lookout near the intersection with Chippendale Road, as “just about as grave as you can possibly get.”
Palmer said a 35-year-old tourist visiting from Israel was driving a rental car – a 2018 Buick Encore sedan – south down Cypress Bowl Road after taking photos at the lookout when his vehicle collided head on with a red 2007 Yamaha street bike driven by a 24-year-old man, carrying a 23-year-old woman passenger.
Palmer said while both of the motorcycle riders were wearing helmets, both suffered “very serious impact injuries” including multiple fractures and internal injuries. They were rushed to hospital.
Police have spoken to the driver of the car, and are still investigating to find out why the motorcycle and car crashed head-on and where they were on the road at the point of impact.
Palmer said it does not appear that alcohol was a factor in the crash and the weather was clear at the time.
The motorcycle was “essentially destroyed” in the crash while the car was also extensively damaged, he said.
Palmer said police were first alerted to the crash by an automated 911 collision activation signal from the rental car.
West Vancouver police are continuing to investigate, along with the Integrated Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Service.
Anyone who may have witnessed the collision and has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact West Vancouver Police at 604-925-7300.
