Five members of a Newton family are dead following a devastating crash at 176 Street and 32 Avenue Sunday.
It occurred around 11 a.m., when a white 2012 Dodge Caravan travelling westbound on 32 Avenue struck a 1994 Toyota Corolla that was northbound on 176 Street.
The collision sheared the car in half, flipped the minivan onto its roof and scattered debris for at least 100 metres.
“We’ve got a father whose two kids, wife, mother and sister – all gone,” a Surrey RCMP spokesman said Monday.
The victims – a three-year-old girl, her five-year-old brother, their mom, aged 31, their aunt, 47, and their grandmother, 68 – were struck as they passed through the intersection. The impact was so destructive, police could not immediately determine the make or model of the car.
“One of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever seen,” Sgt. Dale Carr said at the scene, citing speed as a clear factor.
“There are pieces of evidence where pieces of evidence shouldn’t be.”
The driver, a 46-year-old Langley man, was airlifted to hospital and remains in serious but stable condition.
Neighbour Fabio Nicoli told CTV News at the scene Sunday that the impact of the vehicles shook his house.
“All you hear is – bam – a bomb go off. The house vibrated,” he said.
Nicoli described the afterma
th as a scene that made him want to cry.
“Just seeing a little baby, seeing when they were covering the body,” he said.
“I was sitting there with one of the firefighters and he was bawling.”
At a news conference Monday, Surrey RCMP Insp. Lee Chanin said it is likely that the van’s driver will face charges.
Police are investigating witness reports that allege the van went through a red light.
The RCMP’s Criminal Collision Investigation Team is investigating.
Chanin appealed to media to respect the family’s privacy.
“You could put yourself in the family’s shoes, when someone is to lose three generations of their family, how they would feel. It’s a devastating loss.”
The intersection was closed for several hours as police investigated.
The Lower Mainland Integrated Collision Analyst/Reconstruction Services team is also investigating.