Death
Firefighters did not ‘appreciate the danger’ of shipping container that exploded, killing fireman
VERNON - A volunteer fireman was in the wrap-up stage of a fire call when a shipping container exploded a few metres away and he was struck by a large metal door flying through the air, the B.C. Coroners Service said. Daniel Joseph Botkin, 25, was killed by multiple blunt force trauma on impact, coroner...
Inquest into death of Lumby mill worker ends with recommendations to prevent future tragedies
VERNON - The jury in a B.C. Coroners inquest into the death of a teen employee at Tolko’s Lavington mill made seven recommendations in the hopes of preventing future tragedies. Bradley Haslam, 18, died after getting entangled in a conveyer belt at the mill in June 2013. The grade 12 Charles Bloom Secondary student had...
Inquest hears of chaos at mill after Lumby teen found caught in conveyor belt
VERNON - A coroner’s inquest into the death of a Lumby teen began Monday with tearful testimony from the mill worker’s mother, who described him as kind, determined and full of life. Bradley Haslam, 18, died June 15 after getting caught in a conveyer belt at Tolko’s planer mill in Lavington. The Charles Bloom Secondary...
Bastion Place dementia patient died of natural causes
SALMON ARM - A 93-year-old dementia patient who wandered into another resident’s room at a care home in Salmon Arm and died four days later passed of natural causes, according to a coroner’s report. Bastion Place staff saw John Edward Young sleeping in his bed at 11:30 p.m. Oct. 2. Half an hour later, they...
Fruit picker who fell to his death identified
SOUTH OKANAGAN - A fruit picker who died following an accident last week has been identified as Gabriel Gendreau-Martineau. Gendreau-Martineau, 23, of St. Agathe, QC, spent his summer working on a farm in Osoyoos. While he had concluded his work there, he tented on the property until he planned to leave on Sept. 26. On...
Foul play ruled out in death of Vernon teen
VERNON - Foul play has been ruled out in the death of a former Vernon teen who died at a work residence in Kindersley, Saskatchewan. Police initially called 19-year-old Dylan Cordell Hanna’s death suspicious, but an autopsy conducted Sept. 16 has since dispelled any notions foul play was involved. Hanna was found Sept. 14 at...
Motorcycle crash kills West Kelowna man
PENTICTON - A West Kelowna man was killed when he crashed his motorcycle into another vehicle this past weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 13, a 42-year-old motorcyclist accelerated straight through a yellow light at the same time an oncoming car was making a left-hand turn at the intersection of Main Street and Industrial Avenue. The motorcyclist...
UPDATE: American killed rock climbing near Penticton identified
PENTICTON – An American in his 30’s fell to his death on Saturday, Aug. 30, while rock climbing in Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park near Penticton. “The man fell from a substantial height,” RCMP Const. Chris Richardson says. “He was deceased upon arrival at hospital.” The victim, identified as Stas Eric Gray of Seattle Washington, was...
This is how young people in Penticton are bringing awareness to mental health
PENTICTON - There's a group of five Penticton 20-somethings creating a plan for a new non-profit organization to help bring support and awareness of mental health to town — because of what happened to someone they know. They gather at a coffee shop on Main Street in downtown Penticton, their computer screens glowing, pages of...
Surrey man drowned, remains found by RCMP dive team
OKANAGAN - The remains of a Surrey businessman who drowned while on vacation in Washington have been found, thanks to the efforts of the B.C. RCMP Dive Team and the Okanagan County Sheriff Department. While vacationing with family and friends on Washington’s Osoyoos Lake earlier this month, John Mele dove into the water and didn’t...
Man killed in Cherryville farming accident
CHERRYVILLE - A Yellowknife man was killed earlier this month when a cow head-butted him at a farm in Cherryville. Allen Donald Powder, 49, was working on the farm July 1, moving cows from one corral to another with the help of another man. According to the B.C. Coroners Service, one of the cows became...
HELSTON: You’re never planning on getting into trouble on the water
When you’re packing up for a day on the water, toss in a floatation device along with your suntan lotion, snacks and iPhone. It might save your life, or someone else’s. I’ll be the first to admit that packing safety gear can feel like a big nuisance. It’s certainly not as fun as loading a...
UPDATE: Man dead after leap from moving vehicle
KELOWNA – There are more questions than answers following the death of a Kelowna man who jumped from a moving car on Saturday morning. Victor John Doyle, 23, of Kelowna was riding in the passenger side when, according to the RCMP, he “unexpectedly” leapt from the vehicle on Glenmore Road near Union Road. Doyle was...
Celebration of life for Vernon teen
VERNON - Those attending the memorial service for a Vernon teen killed in a boating accident are encouraged to sport a jersey, pajama bottoms and socks that don’t match to honour and remember him. Fourteen-year-old Miles Wohlford’s celebration of life will be held July 14 at Kal Tire Place at 3 p.m. Wohlford was tubing...
Police seek answers in Vernon teen’s death
VERNON - Police are working to give a grieving family answers in the tragic boating death of a Vernon teen. Officers are investigating the death of Miles Wohlford, 14, who fell off his tube and was struck by the boat and its propeller June 28 on Okanagan Lake. “The investigation is to thoroughly look into...