Several people were seriously hurt in two collisions on the Trans-Canada Highway near Salmon Arm on Monday.
Two of them were so badly injured that they had to be flown to hospital by helicopter.
The first crash happened at about 3:16 pm just west of Sunnybrae Road.
A Toyota Camry and a Ford F-150 were involved in the head-on collision, with occupants of both vehicles suffering serious injuries.
One was flown to hospital.
While Mounties were at the scene of this collision, three more vehicles were involved in a crash near Third Nations Road.
It happened when a Volkswagen Jetta heading west along Hwy 1 crashed into stopped traffic, first hitting a Toyota Highlander SUV.
The Toyota was then pushed over the centre line and hit a Mercedes SUV heading in the other direction.
Police said “multiple” people were seriously hurt in this second crash, with the driver of the VW sent to hospital by helicopter.
Mounties continue to investigate the collisions.
The Trans-Canada was closed in both directions as emergency crews dealt with the crashes.
“Police would like to remind motorists that distracted driving and driver inattention is a top contributing factor to motor vehicle crashes, along with drug and/or alcohol affected driving, and of course speeding,” said Sgt Scott Lachapelle.
“Roadways are very dynamic environments, with situations and circumstances that can change quickly. By taking your eyes off of the road for even a moment you increase the chance of a crash or collision.”
