One person dead after multi-vehicle crash in North Okanagan

One person was killed and two remain in hospital in critical condition following a chain-reaction crash on the highway south of Enderby late last week.

A small Honda Prelude travelling northbound on Highway 97A crossed the centre line and hit a passenger vehicle driving in the opposite direction on Friday, Jan. 21, according to an RCMP media release.

The Honda then hit a red GMC Jimmy which was travelling southbound. Once the GMC came to a stop it was broadsided by a pickup truck.

The GMC's driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The GMC's passenger and the Honda's driver were both transported by B.C. Ambulance Service and are in critical condition with serious life-threatening injuries, RCMP said.

"While the factors leading to the collision are still under investigation, a dense fog that settled in the area had reduced visibility to nearly zero at the time of the crash," Vernon RCMP Const. Chris Terleski said in the release. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased and those injured in this terrible collision."

The incident took place in the 5000-block of Highway 97A south of Enderby at roughly 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 21. The highway was closed for seven hours following the incident.

An ongoing investigation into the collision is being supported by the RCMP Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services and the B.C. Coroners Service.


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Ben Bulmer

After a decade of globetrotting, U.K. native Ben Bulmer ended up settling in Canada in 2009. Calling Vancouver home he headed back to school and studied journalism at Langara College. From there he headed to Ottawa before winding up in a small anglophone village in Quebec, where he worked for three years at a feisty English language newspaper. Ben is always on the hunt for a good story, an interesting tale and to dig up what really matters to the community.

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