Nova Scotia RCMP confirmed Monday that officers had been actively searching for a blue Honda Civic suspected of being involved in impaired driving before it was later involved in a devastating highway crash that killed five people. The fatal collision occurred Saturday night on Highway 101 near Falmouth, and police say the same vehicle had been reported earlier that evening by a concerned member of the public.
RCMP Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay stated that police first received a call around 7:20 p.m. about a possible impaired driver. The vehicle, last seen near a restaurant along Highway 1 in Grand Pre, sparked a search involving multiple officers across Kings and West Hants counties. Despite efforts, officers were unable to locate the car before tragedy struck at approximately 11:12 p.m.
According to police, the Civic was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes when it collided head-on with a Nissan Sentra. The collision occurred just 1.5 kilometers from Exit 7. Investigators say physical evidence indicates the Civic was moving in the wrong direction, but it remains unclear whether the vehicle crossed over the median or entered the highway traveling the wrong way.
The driver and passenger of the Honda Civic—a 43-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, both from Falmouth—were pronounced dead at the scene. The crash also claimed the lives of the 45-year-old female driver of the Nissan and a 58-year-old male passenger, both from Nova Scotia communities of Oxford and Nappan, respectively.
Two additional passengers in the Nissan were rushed to hospital. One, a 50-year-old man from Oxford, succumbed to his injuries shortly after. The second, a 29-year-old man from British Columbia, remains in critical condition. Tremblay had no updates on his status as of Monday.
The province’s medical examiner has been called in to assist in the investigation. However, Tremblay noted that toxicology results could take time to process and be made available. In the meantime, RCMP are asking the public to come forward with any information regarding the Civic’s whereabouts or behavior earlier that evening, hoping it will help piece together the timeline that led to one of Nova Scotia’s deadliest recent highway tragedies.