Vehicle crashes into wedding party in West Vancouver killing two, injuring 10

The site where a car crashed into a wedding reception killing at least two in West Vancouver, BC, on Aug. 21.Jimmy Jeong/The Globe and Mail

Cassie Palmer says she remembers admiring the guests in their tuxedos and dresses as they arrived Saturday afternoon for an outdoor wedding at her next-door neighbor’s home in West Vancouver, BC Hours later, Ms. Palmer says she heard people screaming.

The retired nurse and her daughter, a university student, raced to the neighbor’s front yard where a vehicle had crashed into a gate and several people were bleeding on the ground.

“It was horrific,” Ms Palmer said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “There were a lot of people hurt, from those who were unfortunately gone and those that were injured to those that were walking wounded.”

Police said two people were killed and 10 were injured after a driver accelerated through the front yard of a residence where a wedding was taking place.

Ms. Palmer sprung into action, using towels and table cloths as makeshift tourniquets to apply pressure on the wounds and help stop some of the bleeding before paramedics could arrive.

“My daughter … she’s done her first-aid courses, but nobody prepares you to see somebody die in front of you,” she said. “This wasn’t some random car accident where you don’t know the people involved, this was their family. … It was incredibly sad and I just feel for the bride and her whole family.”

BC’s Provincial Health Services Authority said 10 people were taken to hospital, with five of them believed to be in stable condition, three in serious condition and two in critical condition. Ms. Palmer added that the male owner of the home where the wedding was taking place was among the injured.

West Vancouver police spokesperson Constable Nicole Braithwaite said the accident happened at around 6:10 pm local time on Saturday when the driver of the vehicle was trying to get out of their driveway, which is shared between two homes.

“They accelerated, hitting several individuals who were there for a wedding,” Constable Braithwaite said. “It was a very big call and we had approximately 10 ambulances arrive, as well as air ambulance and several West Vancouver Fire and services trucks responding. … As you can imagine, it was a very large scene.”

She added it was too early to tell whether charges would be laid, although she said police would have an update on Monday. The RCMP’s collision reconstruction team has taken over the investigation.

Ms. Palmer said it was clear the woman driving the vehicle, whom she described as “elderly,” had no malicious intent. She said the woman was unable to move or speak when she was removed from her car, which has been described by neighbors as a white SUV.

Ursula Kummel, who lives down the road from where the wedding was taking place, said she ran over to the house after hearing multiple sirens echoing throughout the neighborhood.

Ms. Kummel said she saw three or four ambulances, several police cars, health emergency cars, stretchers and paramedics, along with a medical helicopter that circled the home, which is located on a private lane. Eventually, Ms. Kummel said the air ambulance landed on the lawn of the home next door to the scene.

“I’m puzzled,” Ms. Kummel said when talking about the driver. “The speed at which the car must have gone. How is that possible?”

Ms. Palmer said her thoughts were with the family next door.

“I just can’t imagine that this will ever be a day that they will be able to manage because they’re going to go from weddings to funerals and that just is beyond a tragedy.”

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