Two lives were lost Saturday (Sept. 26) after two separate vehicle collisions in northern B.C.
RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating the circumstances surrounding a single-vehicle rollover collision that claimed a life Saturday evening near Vanderhoof and a serious collision that claimed a life Saturday evening outside of Valemount.
On September 26, just before 6 p.m., Vanderhoof RCMP received a report of a rollover collision on Highway 16 at Hillcrest Way. The two occupants of the newer pickup truck were both ejected from the vehicle during the collision.
A northern B.C. woman in her 20’s was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical crews.
An Alberta woman, also in her 20’s, was transported from the scene by BC Emergency Health Services to hospital. Her injuries are considered serious in nature.
Highway 16 was closed in both directions for several hours to allow emergency crews to fully examine and safely clear the crash scene.
The BC Coroners Service was notified, attended the crash scene and is also conducting an independent and concurrent fact-finding investigation. Due to the privacy of the deceased under the Coroner’s Act, the woman’s identity will not be released publicly.
On September 26, at 10:45 p.m., a front line officer of the Valemount RCMP was responding to a collision between a moose and a motor vehicle near the B.C. Alberta border when he encountered the scene of a serious collision along Highway 16 just east of Red Pass Townsite Road.
The front line officer arrived on scene to find a passenger vehicle fully engulfed in flames.
Preliminary findings suggest that a westbound semi-tractor trailer unit collided with an eastbound passenger car that had seemingly crossed the centre line.
The driver of the passenger car was unable to escape the wreckage and died at the scene.
The driver of the commercial vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Highway 16 was closed for a period of time to allow a collision analyst with the RCMP Integrated Collision Analyst and Reconstructionist Services (ICARS) team to conduct a full examination of the scene.
The BC Coroners Service has been notified and is also conducting an independent and concurrent fact-finding investigation. Investigators with the RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are working to determine the identity of the deceased driver and properly notify their next of kin.
If you witnessed this crash and have not yet spoken to police, or you have any information that may assist investigators, you are asked to call the Valemount RCMP at 250-566-4466.
