Wednesday night’s fatal crash that claimed a Surrey teen on River Road in the East Richmond Community of Hamilton happened at a bend in the road where people commonly speed, an area resident said.
April Bessey, 15, was home with her parents, when she heard an extremely loud crash, and ran outside around 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The power lines were dangling on her house’s roof, and a virtually unrecognizable vehicle was sitting in the ditch, she said.
One power pole was sheared off at the base, but still suspended by wires, while another had toppled to the ground.
“My mom was screaming to call the police,” Bessey said, adding she couldn’t tell what kind of vehicle it was, only able to make out that it was blue in colour.
After calling 911, Bessey said she saw “a completely ruined car in the ditch and there’s a guy sitting in the ditch, and there’s a girl and a guy, sitting at the side of the road.
“They were just sitting there. They looked shocked. They had no emotions,” she said.
Bessey said she’s lived in the area for most of her life, and can recall four accidents in roughly the same location. She said people frequently speed in the area.
Bessey was unaware that an 18-year-old girl, from Surrey, who was extricated from the vehicle by Richmond Fire-Rescue, died early Thursday morning from her injuries.
“It’s sad, really sad. I’m sorry for her family,” Bessey said, adding she believes the three occupants of the vehicle who got themselves out were Filipino.
