It was a tragic and often chaotic week on major roads in and around Langley.

On Monday, July 26, two people were rushed to hospital, one by Air Ambulance, after a semi-tractor slammed into a mini-van near the Langley-Surrey border, at 22nd Avenue and 192nd Street in a Surrey industrial park. The truck driver had failed to stop at the intersection, according to Surrey RCMP.

Three young people in the mini-van, all members of the same family, where checked over but not seriously hurt. The other victims were expected to survive.

On Tuesday, July 27, a 65-year-old man was riding his bicycle on the freeway near the Mt. Lehman interchange in Abbotsford, when he was hit by a five-ton flatdeck truck. The cyclist, Peter Boersma, 65, died of his injuries later the same day.

The fatal collision backed up traffic through Langley, as police closed off traffic as far back as the 264th Street interchange in Aldergrove.

Bike riders are banned from the highway. Police are still investigating. Anyone who may have witnessed the fatality and has not spoken to a police officer is asked to contact RCMP Cst. Monty Zimmer at 604-702-4039.

On Wednesday, metal thieves caused chaos for travellers. Thieves made off with Telus wire from lines near the highway. They caused damage to utility poles, and the highway was temporarily closed shortly after noon in the eastbound lanes near Aldergrove, while Telus crews repaired the damage.

Police have not reported any arrests linked to the metal thefts.

Later that afternoon, another major crash sent two more people to hospital, with the Air Ambulance called in for one victim.

The crash took place just after 3:30 p.m., according to Langley RCMP Cst. Darren Forsyth. Dozens of emergency workers, including RCMP, firefighters, and four ground ambulances, descended on the scene after the crash, surrounding a mangled maroon mid-sized sedan.

Both of the victims appeared to have been in that car.

A van was also involved in the crash.

The victims are expected to survive their injuries, Forsyth reported. The RCMP are still investigating.

On Thursday morning, a crash in the eastbound lanes of the TransCanada, east of 232nd Street, snarled traffic for several kilometres.