Transit police officer seriously injured in fiery crash in Surrey
RCMP say officer was responding to emergency incident when unmarked SUV collided with another vehicle
RCMP are thanking bystanders for rushing to help a Metro Vancouver Transit Police officer who was seriously injured in a fiery crash in Surrey, B.C., late Wednesday.
Officers responded to reports of a collision near 128 Street and 93 Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. PT, according to RCMP Cpl. Joanie Sidhu at a media availability Thursday morning.
They found an unmarked police SUV and a sedan-type vehicle had collided with each other, then crashed into a fence and into the backyard of a home, Sidhu said.
Bystanders helped get the driver out of the SUV, which had caught fire.
"We'd like to thank bystanders in the area who helped with removing the officer from the police vehicle when it had caught fire," Sidhu said.
It's not clear if the transit police officer's injuries were sustained by the crash impact or as a result of the fire.
Sidhu said the driver of the sedan sustained only minor injuries.
She said the investigaton is in its early stages but it appears the transit officer was en route to an unspecified emergency incident at the time of the crash.
The RCMP's traffic services unit is investigating all aspects of the crash, she said.