Crash kills two motorcycle riders at Burrard Street and West 2nd Avenue
Two people are dead after a motorcycle and a car collided at Burrard Street and West 2nd Avenue.
The crash happened just after 8 a.m. this morning (November 9), when a motorcycle going south on Burrard hit an eastbound car at the intersection, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Both motorcycle riders—a 22-year-old woman and a man of undetermined age—succumbed to their injuries, becoming the city's 15th and 16th traffic fatalities of 2012.
The car driver was sent to hospital with minor injuries.
"The Vancouver Police Collision Investigation Unit will be on Burrard for several hours investigating and determining the cause of the collision," reads a statement from the VPD.
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Comments
28 Comments
Sad
Nov 9, 2012 at 9:08pm
I drove by shortly after it happened. The bike was destroyed and the motorcycle helmets were lying on the ground amidst broken glass. It's sad to think of the two lives snuffed out today. They had hopes and dreams, friends and family, strengths and weaknesses. I've seen a fair amount of death in my life, but today really drove home how fragile it all is.
My heart goes out to the ones they leave behind.
In my possibly flawed opinion, it looked like the car was traveling North on Burrard Street and making a left turn onto West 2nd when it collided head on with the motorcycle which was traveling South on Burrard Street.
Bored
Nov 10, 2012 at 7:59am
nothing happens when you drive at normal speed
Mary
Nov 10, 2012 at 9:19am
Umm Sad....the pics I've seen clearly show an impact on the driver side of the car. So the car couldn't have been making a left turn from northbound Burrard.
And I think in reports the police have confirmed that the car was travelling from West 2 attempting to turn left to join northbound Burrard.
D. Zaster
Nov 10, 2012 at 1:50pm
This accident happened on a sunny morning in dry conditions. If it was like most car/motorcycle collisions, the car driver just didn't see the bike, though it was probably plainly visible in traffic. This happens much, much too often, even when the bike is not speeding.
RIP to the young motorcyclists. What a waste.
Sad
Nov 10, 2012 at 2:34pm
Re: Mary
You could well be right, I only had a brief look at it, and the car was facing north when I saw the scene - which is what I made my guess from.
Sad
Nov 10, 2012 at 2:38pm
I just looked at the pics, yes the impact was definitely on the drivers side. Makes sense that they were turning left onto Northbound Burrard.
Ian Shepherd
Nov 10, 2012 at 4:57pm
The proximate cause of this MVA would appear to be the fact of the BMW sedan pulling out from the STOP sign when it was so clearly unsafe to do so. On this beautiful sunny fall morning the driver of that car apparently failed to see the bike & started a chain of events that destroyed two human beings. The saddest part of this all too frequent " I didn't see the motorcycle" story is that the motorcyclists paid with their lives while the cost to the motorist was minor injuries. Hopefully, VPD will be able to gather enough evidence to recommend the serious charges this motorist deserves for these killings
David Hester
Nov 10, 2012 at 5:38pm
Cell phone history should be checked in all traffic accident to see if the drivers involved wee not trying to update their Facebook site while driving .Talking and texting while driving is as bad as driving drunk.The new goverment in may should quadruple all traffic fines,driving is privilege , not a right and talking and texting is as worst as driving while severely intoxicated.ICBC should cancel insurance coverage if found talking on cellphone while driving.
james blatchford
Nov 10, 2012 at 8:01pm
Before convicting the car driver, one should consider whether excessive speed was a factor...it certainly appears to be an extremely forceful side-impact collision. A terrible loss of two young lives and a driver forever scarred by the tragedy.
DD
Nov 10, 2012 at 8:30pm
lots of people quick to lay blame. what if the motorcycle was going twice as fast as it should have been. the car may very well have had time to go at normal speeds. or what if the bike ran a light that the driver expected it to stop at.