Cassie Palmer says she remembers admiring the guests in their tuxedos and dresses as they arrived Saturday afternoon for an outdoor wedding at her next-door neighbor’s home in West Vancouver, B.C. A few hours later, Ms Palmer says she heard people screaming. The retired nurse and her daughter, a university student, ran into a neighbor’s yard, where a vehicle had crashed into a gate and several people were on the ground bleeding. “It was horrible,” Ms. Palmer said in a telephone interview Sunday. “There were a lot of people who were injured, from those who unfortunately passed away and those who were injured to those who were walking around injured.” Police said two people were killed and 10 injured when a driver sped into the front yard of a residence where a wedding was taking place. Ms Palmer sprung into action, using towels and tablecloths as makeshift tourniquets to apply pressure to the wounds and help stop some of the bleeding before medics arrived. “My daughter … has taken first aid courses, but nobody prepares you for seeing someone die in front of you,” he said. “It wasn’t some random car accident where you don’t know the people involved, this was their family. … It was incredibly sad and I just feel for the bride and her whole family.” The BC Provincial Health Services Authority said 10 people were taken to hospital, with five of them believed to be in stable condition, three in serious condition and two in critical condition. Ms Palmer added that among the injured was the male owner of the house where the wedding was taking place. West Vancouver police spokesperson Constable Nicole Braithwaite said the accident happened at about 6:10 p.m. local time on Saturday when the driver of the vehicle was trying to pull out of their driveway, which is shared between two homes. “They sped off, hitting several people who were there for a wedding,” Constable Braithwaite said. “It was a very long call and about 10 ambulances arrived, as well as air ambulances and several trucks from the West Vancouver fire department and services that responded. … As you can imagine, it was a very big scene.” He added that it was too early to say whether charges would be laid, although he said police would be briefed on Monday. The RCMP collision reconstruction team took over the investigation. Ms Palmer said it was clear the woman driving the vehicle, who she described as “elderly”, had no malicious intent. He said the woman was unable to move or speak when she was removed from her car, which has been described by neighbors as a white SUV. Ursula Kummel, who lives down the street from where the wedding was taking place, said she ran home after hearing multiple sirens echoing throughout the neighborhood. Ms Kummel said she saw three or four ambulances, several police cars, EMS cars, stretchers and paramedics, along with a medical helicopter circling the house, which is on a private lane. Eventually, Ms. Kummel said, the ambulance landed on the lawn of the home next to the scene. “I’m confused,” Ms. Kummel said of the driver. “The speed at which the car must have gone. How is this possible?” Mrs Palmer said her thoughts were with the family next door. “I just can’t imagine that this is ever going to be a day that they’re going to be able to manage because they’re going from weddings to funerals and it’s beyond a tragedy.” We have a weekly Western Canada newsletter written by our BC and Alberta bureau chiefs, providing a comprehensive package of the news you need to know about the region and its position on the issues facing Canada. Sign up today.
