Police say two people were seriously injured when they got out of their vehicles after a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 1 in Burnaby Tuesday morning.

Emergency crews were called to the highway just east of the Kensington Avenue off-ramp shortly after 3 a.m., according to BC Highway Patrol spokesperson Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.

At least four vehicles were involved in the crash, he said, and five people were taken to hospital, two with minor injuries and three in serious condition.

McLaughlin said the incident involved multiple collisions and the exact sequence had not yet been determined.

Police believe one person was injured “very seriously” inside a vehicle during one of the collisions, and “at least” two others were injured after getting out of their vehicle – one was injured “very seriously” and the other was injured “seriously”. .

“Remember that all pedestrians are extremely vulnerable around roadways, even and especially when people are trying to help them after a collision,” McLaughlin said.

Police are working to reopen the highway, but there is currently no timetable for when that might happen, according to McLaughlin.

“This collision impacted all westbound lanes of traffic, and that’s why all westbound lanes were closed for so long,” McLaughlin said.

Images from the scene showed debris strewn across the highway and several heavily damaged vehicles, including two taxis.

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