Surrey man dead after wrong-way head-on crash on Coquihalla Highway

The driver of a pickup truck that crashed head-on with an SUV on the Coquihalla on Saturday morning, killing one of the passengers, has been held on suspicion of impaired driving.

The RCMP highway patrol said speed and impairment are suspected in the crash on Highway 5 near Merritt, and crash investigators are looking for witnesses and video to figure out what led to the fatal collision.

At about 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 17, several callers contacted police about a vehicle driving south in the northbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway. While officers were en route, a black Toyota Tacoma crashed head-on with a Toyota Rav 4, causing catastrophic damage to both vehicles.

A 24-year-old man from Surrey who was riding in the Toyota Rav 4 died at the scene. Three other Surrey men between the ages of 24 and 38 in the SUV were hospitalized with serious injuries.

The driver and only occupant of the Toyota Tacoma pickup, a 22-year-old man from Coldwater, had minor injuries and was detained for suspected impaired driving.

“We need more video and witnesses who can tell us what the driver of the black Toyota Tacoma was doing before he started driving,” said Sgt. Michael McLaughlin of the highway patrol. “Some witnesses say the black Toyota Tacoma entered Highway 5 near Lac Le Jeune. If you saw what the driver was doing before he started driving, we need to talk to you.”

Anyone who saw the driving behaviour of the Tacoma driver or the crash itself, and anyone with dashcam footage, is asked to call the highway patrol in Kamloops at 250-828-3111.

jruttle@postmedia.com