Morning commutes across Metro Vancouver ground to a screeching halt when a grim discovery changed the flow of traffic on Highway 1. A man's body was found lying directly on the asphalt in Burnaby, turning a standard Tuesday morning drive into an active police investigation scene.
Burnaby RCMP officers rushed to the eastbound lanes near the Kensington Avenue exit. The initial findings point toward a hit-and-run scenario. The victim sustained injuries that clearly match being struck by a motor vehicle.
The Investigation Underway on Highway 1
Traffic control measures went into effect immediately. Crews shut down multiple eastbound lanes and blocked the Kensington on-ramp to preserve evidence. BC Highway Patrol investigators are now working to piece together the timeline of events.
The core question facing authorities is simple yet critical. Did the driver who struck the man stay at the scene, or did they flee into the morning darkness? Right now, investigators treat the incident as a potential hit-and-run crash until proven otherwise.
Time is everything in these cases. Police have issued a direct appeal to anyone who was driving through that specific stretch of Highway 1 between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
How Dash Cam Footage Helps Police
If your vehicle was equipped with a dash camera and you passed Kensington Avenue during that early morning window, your footage matters. Investigators need eyewitness video to identify the vehicle involved, map out traffic density at the time, and determine how the victim ended up on the roadway.
Police urge drivers to check their storage cards before automatically deleting old clips. Even a blurry glimpse of a passing car or unexpected debris can break a case wide open.
Commuter Impact and Alternative Routes
Major closures on the Trans-Canada Highway always cause massive ripple effects across municipal streets in Burnaby and Vancouver. Drivers heading east faced extensive delays, with heavy congestion spilling onto Lougheed Highway and Boundary Road.
While cleanup and forensic sweeps take hours, arterial routes bear the brunt of the overflow. Check live traffic maps before heading out, give yourself extra time, and cooperate fully with traffic control personnel managing the detours.
If you have any information or dash cam footage regarding the Burnaby Highway 1 incident, contact the BC Highway Patrol or Burnaby RCMP immediately.
