Grandfather of top hockey prospect Connor Bedard identified as 1 of 2 drivers killed in head-on B.C. crash
Both drivers were travelling alone at the time of the collision on Hwy 1 just east of Sicamous, B.C.
Two people died in a head-on collision that closed down a stretch of Highway 1 in B.C.'s southern Interior on Tuesday, with one of the fatalities later identified as the grandfather of hockey prospect Connor Bedard.
RCMP said officers were called at around 1 p.m. PT to reports of a serious crash involving two vehicles about seven kilometres east of Sicamous, B.C.
Investigators say a 73-year-old man travelling west crossed the centre line and collided with an eastbound sedan driven by a 46-year-old woman from Salmon Arm, B.C.
The two drivers, who were both travelling alone, were found dead at the scene, the statement said.
In a tweet Wednesday, the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats confirmed the 73-year-old victim was Garth Bedard, grandfather of Connor Bedard, a highly regarded 15-year-old prospect from North Vancouver, B.C.
Please see our statement regarding Connor Bedard’s grandfather Garth Bedard, who passed away Tuesday in a motor vehicle accident near Sicamous, B.C. <a href="https://t.co/zPeDKUUvAc">pic.twitter.com/zPeDKUUvAc</a>
—@WHLPats
The highway remained closed for several hours while police and the BC Coroners Service investigated the crash.
RCMP said weather is not believed to have been a contributing factor.
Anyone with information is asked to call the local RCMP Traffic Services at 250-344-2221.
