RCMP say they haven’t ruled out impairment as the cause of last Wednesday’s fatal three-vehicle crash near Clearwater that left three people dead and two others in critical condition.

“We are pursuing that avenue of investigation but until we find out for sure, we don’t know if it was a contributing factor or not,” B.C. Highway Patrol Staff Sgt. Bryan Fedirchuk told NL News. “We are acting on information we’ve received and we are pursuing that avenue of investigation but until we get results back, we won’t know for sure.”

“We do not suspect it was alcohol impairment.”

Mounties say a southbound Ford F-150 pickup truck from Alberta crossed the centre median around 11 a.m. March 1, and side-swiped a Ford F-550 pickup before colliding head on with a Ford Escape SUV occupied by a family of recent refugees from Afghanistan.

Fedirchuk says weather, road, and traffic conditions are not considered to be factors in this crash, noting the driver of the F-150 is cooperating with investigators.

“Yes, we are pursuing the possibility that he might have been impaired. We do not suspect it was alcohol. That is the best answer I can give you without disclosing too much information that we are still following up on and everything else,” Fedirchuk added, noting the two people who were taken to hospital are expected to survive.

Late Friday, Mounties renewed a call for dash cam footage of the three vehicles involved in the crash, asking anyone with information to call the BC Highway Patrol in Kamloops at 250-828-3111.

More to come