Few answers in head-on collision that killed Vernon boy

VERNON – What caused a vehicle carrying a Vernon boy to swerve across Highway 97 a year ago remains a mystery, even with the findings of a coroners report.

The May 4, 2014 accident killed Rodney Michael Boring, 14, on a stretch of Highway 97 going through Lake Country. Boring was the passenger in a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire travelling north on the highway towards Vernon.

A report by B.C. Coroner Brenda Joyce Downey says the car failed to negotiate a curve on the highway and crossed the centre line where it collided with a pickup truck. According to the Globe and Mail, the couple in the pickup truck — due to be married in two months time — knew the Boring family. 

A vehicle inspection gave no indication that mechanical fitness was a contributing factor in the crash, and Downey said the asphalt in the area was dry and in good condition. The accident happened in the daytime, just before 4 p.m., and the opposing travel lanes were divided by two solid yellow lines. Concrete median barriers have since been installed on the highway.

Boring was wearing his seatbelt at the time, but it didn’t save him from the impact of the crash.  Downey said he died of multiple blunt force trauma and classified the death as accidental. She made no recommendations. 

The 17-year-old driver, Boring's brother, was rushed to hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

A fundraising page was set up to support the family.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.