Two serious-injury pedestrian collisions and a fiery, multi-vehicle crash were among hundreds of calls that kept emergency crews in Surrey busy on Halloween.
Police, fire and ambulance crews responded to the 4500-block of King George Boulevard around 5:30 p.m., after two north- and two southbound vehicles collided, with one catching on fire.
According to police, the chain-reaction crash began when a Jeep Cherokee turning north from 44 Avenue onto King George Boulevard collided with a northbound Ford Mustang. Impact flipped the Cherokee onto its side and caused the Mustang to go over the median into oncoming traffic, striking a Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Golf before catching on fire.
Police said while all occupants of the vehicles – eight in all, ranging in age from two years to 73 years old – were taken to hospital, none of the injuries were serious.
Speed is being investigated as a possible factor in the crash.
The first pedestrian incident occurred less than two hours later, around 7 p.m., when a toddler out trick-or-treating and his mother were struck by a truck in the 13200-block of 62 Avenue.
Police believe the Dodge pickup driver had been negotiating a turn when the collision occurred. He saw the pair, but was unable to stop.
It remains unclear whether the mother and child were in a crosswalk at the time, however, police have said that alcohol was not a factor and that the driver remained at the scene. The toddler suffered a broken leg; the mother was treated for lacerations.
The second pedestrian collision happened in north Surrey around 9 p.m., on 144 Street near 83 Avenue. A 57-year-old man suffered critical injuries when he was struck by a northbound Toyota Yaris.
That driver remained on scene and 144 Street was closed for several hours while crews investigated.
Anyone with information is asked to call RCMP at 604-599-0502.
The three incidents were the most serious of note for police in Surrey on Oct. 31, when emergency-dispatch staff handled approximately 900 reports over a 24-hour period.
In White Rock, officers had far less to deal with on Halloween: seven noise complaints and a prank in which traffic cones were taken from a construction site and set up to block a road.