Image: BC Highway Patrol / A Kia minivan with severe front-end damage in the southbound lanes of Island Highway North, with a heavily damaged Volkswagen Jetta in the ditch in the background.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Fatal head-on crash

16-year-old arrested for driving impaired in wrong-way crash that killed 2 on Vancouver Island

Aug 27, 2026 | 11:19 AM

LANTZVILLE, BRITISH COLUMBIA – A 16-year-old Nanaimo girl has been arrested for alleged impaired driving after a head-on collision in Lantzville earlier this morning claimed the life of two men.

Police and first responders were called to the southbound lanes of Highway 19 (Island Highway North) near Ware Road at 3 a.m. Thursday morning (Aug. 27) after a blue Kia Sedona minivan and a grey Volkswagen Jetta collided head-on.

Sgt. McLaughin said the two men who were in the grey Volkswagen died at the scene. The occupant of the blue Kia minivan, who is a 16-year-old female from Nanaimo, was arrested at the scene for impaired operation causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

Sgt. Michael McLaughlin told NanaimoNewsNOW that the 16-year-old girl from Nanaimo was seen driving the wrong way on the highway shortly before the incident.

Details regarding the two victims are being withheld for now.

Fatal head-on crash

16-year-old arrested for driving impaired in wrong-way crash that killed 2 on Vancouver Island

2h ago

Max rent increase

2027 max rent increase amount to decrease slightly: B.C. government

2h ago

Overnight fires

Hope firefighters tackle vehicle fire and homeless encampment fire overnight

2h ago

“We’re still letting the family of the dead men know what’s going on, so we’re not going to release any more information. This is obviously extremely tragic, and we’re trying to give those families as much room as we can to process this terrible day,” Sgt. McLaughlin said.

Sgt. McLaughlin says the youth was taken to hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Police have already spoken to multiple witnesses who say that the blue Kia minivan was driving north in the southbound lanes at the time of the collision,” Sgt. McLaughlin said. “We need to speak to more witnesses and gather more video to confirm the exact sequence of events.”

The blue Kia minivan was seen in Nanaimo four hours before the collision. Anyone who witnessed the blue Kia minivan driving between Third Street and Pine Street, Nanaimo, and Island Highway North near Lantzville, is asked to contact police.

If you saw anything relevant to this collision, or you have dash-camera video, please contact BC Highway Patrol – Parksville at 250-954-2953 and quote file (4201) 2026-28277.

by Mike Vanden Bosch

Click here to report an error or typo in this article

Join Our Daily Email

16-year-old arrested for driving impaired in wrong-way crash that killed 2 on Vancouver Island

More Local News