Photo of the remains of the crash/via Melanie Olsen on Facebook

BC Highway Patrol says its investigation into a weekend crash in Kamloops involving one of its vehicles is going to be extensive but will not involve the Independent Investigations Office (IIO).

While the crash did involve an on-duty officer, the incident along the Yellowhead Highway in Rayleigh does not meet the requirements to involve the outside agency, according to the Mounties.

“The threshold for IIO investigations is to ‘investigate incidents where serious harm or death has occurred, and there is a connection to police action or inaction,'” noted Corporal Michael McLaughlin, spokesperson for the BC Highway Patrol in a statement to Radio NL.  “In this case, it is obviously possible that there is ‘a connection to police action or inaction,’ but the injuries appear to be minor so there is no ‘serious harm.'”

The unmarked Highway Patrol pick-up and another pick-up were headed north out of the city on Saturday morning at around 8am when they came together, causing one of the vehicles to flip on its side.

Video via/Ray Thompson on Facebook

The two women inside, 21 and 19 years of age, one of whom has identified herself on social media as a TRU student originally from Maple Ridge, were able to escape with only minor injuries.

McLaughlin says they are asking for people who may have more video of crash to bring it forward.

“Social media videos are being posted and we will definitely be chasing all of those down if we don’t have copies already,” said McLaughlin.  “Video obviously never shows the whole story (speed, possible impairment/distraction, state of mind, nature of the call the officer was responding to, whether both lights and sirens were activated [and for how long], whether someone followed too closely or made an unsafe lane change, etc.) but it sure helps.”

The crash snarled traffic on the Yellowhead through Rayleigh for close to 9 hours on Saturday.