At about 7:10 a.m., Saturday morning, Salmon Arm RCMP responded to a report of a head-on crash between a semi with a trailer and a sedan.
The sedan had three passengers trapped inside. A fourth passenger was able to get free from the car. The jaws of life were required to extricate the three stuck passengers.
A Toyota Corolla was in the eastbound ditch, and a westbound semi with a trailer was also in the eastbound ditch.
All four passengers from the Corolla were transported to hospital in stable but critical condition.
RCMP state that from initial investigative steps, it seems the Corolla was eastbound and crossed the centre line, attempting to pass an eastbound semi in front of it.
The Corolla was unable to complete the pass before being struck head-on by a westbound semi with a trailer.
From there, the Corolla apparently spun off the road into the eastbound ditch, with the engine also being ejected from the car.
The semi with trailer appeared to lose control and went off road left into the eastbound side ditch. The semi driver was uninjured and cooperating with police.
A collision analyst as on scene to investigate while the road was closed for most of the day.