Man killed in Peachland motorcycle crash identified

Flowers have been placed at a notoriously dangerous Okanagan intersection to remember the motorcyclist who died there this weekend.

Friends have identified Michael Odenbach as the motorcyclist that was killed in Peachland Sunday, Sept. 28, after a crash with a truck. Odenbach owns Western Star Auctions.

The stretch of road between Summerland and Peachland has long been considered a problem and when crashes occur, access to the highway is stalled for hours.

In recent years it’s prompted a call to action.

“People are being injured and dying on a particular section of Highway 97 between Summerland and Peachland,” a petition, that went up eight months ago and gained more than 27,000 signature, reads.

“In parts the road is steep, has sharp corners, and the slope of the road in the corners is low on the outside, making it dangerous especially in winter conditions. Drivers who go too fast or don't adjust their speed for road conditions often drift into oncoming traffic causing serious harm or death.”

The Ministry of Transportation is building some medians into the section of highway, but that Peachland portion isn’t slated for anything more than signs.

It, on its own, is ranked by ICBC as the eighth most dangerous intersection in Peachland. It had nine casualties in the time between 2016 and April 2020.

The worst intersection in the highway bisected town is Clements Crescent and Highway 97, which had 33.

Regardless, the investigation into the crash that killed Odenbach is ongoing.

Police in the Central Okanagan community of Peachland are looking for witnesses to a collision between a motorcycle and pickup truck that occurred on Sunday, Sept. 27, at approximately 12:10 p.m. on Highway 97 at Hardy Street.

“A red Chevrolet pickup entered Highway 97 from Hardy Street and was struck by a southbound Harley Davidson motorcycle with a lone rider, a man in his 40s, who was killed as a result. The driver of the pickup truck sustained minor injuries,” reads a release from RCMP.

“Central Okanagan Traffic Services (COTS) in Kelowna has assumed conduct of the investigation and is seeking additional witnesses, including anyone that may have dash camera video of the collision or the driving behaviour of the southbound motorcycle prior to the crash.”

Anyone with information about this collision, including any dash camera video is asked to contact Central Okanagan Traffic Services in Kelowna at 250-491-5354 or send an email to Samantha.Audley@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

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