WINNIPEG -- The only confirmed witness is in critical condition in hospital. And without clear surveillance footage, Winnipeg police are struggling to determine what caused a fatal taxi crash in the West End early Thursday.

Cops have had difficulty using the Duffy’s taxi company’s interior camera from the cab to determine what had happened in the vehicle just before it smashed at an apparently high speed into a large tree on Beverley Street, just north of Portage Avenue, about 3:50 a.m. Though the camera was activated before the crash, police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said on Friday its “images retrieved at this point have not assisted the investigation” into the incident and the death of the cab’s lone 43-year-old male passenger.

Police are trying to retrieve more footage from the camera -- the kind of surveillance system mandatory in all Winnipeg taxis.

Michalyshen noted that pre-crash footage of the driver and his passenger, who died of injuries suffered when the Toyota Prius collided with the tree, “would be vital information for us with regards to what may have or may not have taken place” just before the tragic impact.

The 31-year-old driver remained on Friday in critical condition since the collision. The driver has had surgery for what Michalyshen said are extensive injuries.

The passenger was known to police.

“They never know what type of customers they are going to pick up at night,” Gurdip Singh, general manager of the Duffy’s firm, said of his drivers. “It’s a dangerous occupation.”

Police have asked possible witnesses to contact them at 204-986-6271.