Kelowna Hells Angels prospect died in hospital after crash near Prince George

A Kelowna Hells Angels prospect is dead after a collision near Prince George.

Jason Townsend, born in 1977, was in a single-vehicle collision while on his way to work earlier this month. He later died in hospital, according to an online fundraiser.

He spent a week in hospital after the Nov. 10 collision, but died by Nov. 17, according to the fundraiser.

"His dad Dennis did want me to express how grateful he is to have had Jason for the extra week he was given and that he fought with everything he had in him to stay on this Earth, and how grateful we all were to have the few short days we had with him once he came out of his coma. We were so lucky to get to see his big smile, contagious laugh and to hear him joke around as always," the fundraiser, hosted by cousin Beanne Krause, reads.

READ MORE: Kamloops man defrauded court to get marriage annulled

Townsend was a former member of a Prince George-based Hells Angels support club, the Renegades motorcycle club, according to the Vancouver Sun.

The group disbanded after a leader was murdered and several members were arrested, but he was accepted into the Kelowna Hells Angels club and became a "prospect," the Sun reported. Becoming a prospect is the final step before a becoming a full-patch member.

READ MORE: 'Lengthy' standoff in Merritt results in arrest of wanted man

Townsend was in Kelowna provincial court last year, where a domestic assault charge was stayed in May, according to the Penticton Western.

In 2014, he was sentenced to two years in prison for a violent assault on three people outside a Prince George nightclub in 2013.

A pair of online fundraisers have collected more than $12,000 for his family. The first fundraiser was meant to help him as he recovered, but after Townsend's death, another fundraiser was started to help cover funeral expenses and pay for a celebration of life event in Prince George with his family and friends.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.