Emergency responders attended a pair of motor vehicle incidents on Thursday evening in Gold Creek and Wycliffe, according to an RCMP news release.
Police responded to a motor vehicle collision north of Cranbrook near the airport turnoff at 7:20 p.m., where a motorcyclist had collided into a cement pillar after swerving to avoid an animal.
A 48-year-old woman who was operating the motorcycle was thrown down a nearby embankment. She was airlifted to Vancouver and is in critical condition.
An hour later, police responded to a two-vehicle collision in the Gold Creek area, where a northbound pickup truck on Gold Creek Rd. collided with a Honda Civic that was coming out of a side road.
The 18-year-old driver of the pickup truck and his passenger were taken to hospital for treatment, while the driver of the Civic appeared uninjured.
Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in both incidents.