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Fatal motor vehicle crash

Update: Highway 1 clear after fatal crash in Abbotsford

Jul 20, 2026 | 7:29 AM

UPDATE: Highway 1 through Abbotsford is clear after this morning’s fatal crash near Cole Road.

Original story:

ABBOTSFORD – One lane of eastbound Highway 1 is now open, while westbound remains closed as of 7:15 a.m. Monday morning, after a fatal crash on Highway 1 in Abbotsford early Monday morning in which impairment is suspected.

Abbotsford PD spokesperson Sgt. Paul Walker says police responded to a single-vehicle collision on Highway 1 near Cole Road just before 2 a.m. Monday morning. When police arrived, they found a vehicle that left the highway and rolled over into the centre median.

Two occupants were inside the vehicle and received immediate medical attention at the scene. The driver was airlifted to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. Despite the life-saving efforts of first responders, the passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene, police said.

The investigation remains in its early stages and is being led by the Abbotsford Police Department’s Patrol Section, with assistance from the AbbyPD Traffic Enforcement Unit, and the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS).

Sgt. Walker says preliminary evidence suggests the vehicle was travelling westbound on Highway 1 when it lost control, rolled, and came to rest in the centre median. He says investigators suspect impairment may have been a contributing factor in the collision.

For several hours, Highway 1 remained closed in both directions while police and investigators processed the scene. Westbound traffic has been closed between No. 3 Road and Whatcom Road, while eastbound traffic is closed between Cole Road and No. 3 Road.

As of 7:15 a.m., one eastbound lane on Highway 1 is open, but westbound lanes remain closed, with crews working to reopen one lane within the next hour, Sgt. Walker noted.

Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the collision, observed the vehicle prior to the crash, or may have dash camera footage of the incident to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225. Abbotsford Police File: 2026-30715