Skip to content

RCMP correct cause of fatal Highway 1 crash near Sicamous following witness statements

Crash resulted in the deaths of both drivers involved
25209269_web1_RCMP-Jacket-logo
Two people were killed in an April 6 collision on Highway 1 east of Salmon Arm. (RCMP Image)

Incorrect witness statements were given following a fatal collision that occurred earlier this year on Highway 1.

On May 12, during his quarterly report to district council, Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Murray McNeil commented on the April 6 collision that resulted in the deaths of a 73-year-old Sicamous man and a 46-year-old Salmon Arm woman.

After the incident, which occurred at approximately 1 p.m. near the Highway 1/Jessop Road intersection, police reported that the man, who had been travelling west in a pickup truck, had crossed the centre line before colliding with an eastbound sedan driven by the woman. Both drivers were pronounced dead by emergency services.

Correcting that earlier RCMP report, McNeil said it was the car that crossed the centre line and caused the collision.

“Originally, we thought it was the truck, the driver of the truck that was at fault, based on statements from witnesses and the mechanics of where the vehicles landed,” said McNeil. “But other witnesses came forward, and those two witnesses that gave us the original statements, they were incorrect…

“For two people to give statements saying, well, they saw this happen, and then we get conflicting statements from more people, it’s pretty rare, but that happened in that instance.”

Read more: Two deaths confirmed in Highway 1 crash east of Sicamous

Read more: Update: Witness reports two deaths in Highway 1 crash east of Sicamous



lachlan@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter