Splatsín First Nation mourns Harry Jones, artist and karaoke singer killed while crossing highway

The Splatsín First Nation is calling for traffic lights on a busy southern Interior highway where one of their members was killed by a car last weekend, more than two years after the province knew the intersection needed safety improvements.

Harry Joseph Jones, Jr., 62, died after being struck by a vehicle while trying to cross Highway 97A on a marked crosswalk in the community about 25 kilometres south of Salmon Arm, in B.C.'s North Okanagan-Shuswap region.

The intersection at Canyon Road has been earmarked for safety improvements since 2021, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on Saturday. The design is expected to be finished this summer and will be followed with a call for tenders.

"Safety on our highways is the top priority," the spokesperson said in the statement emailed to CBC.

Julie Litt, a receptionist at Splatsín band office, said the community is "absolutely devastated" by Jones' death.

"He was just a gem of the community, and it's just a real gut punch," she told CBC News. Jones was "a free spirit" and a devoted classic and hard rock karaoke enthusiast who loved Creedence Clearwater Revival.

"He was an all-star karaoke singer," Litt said, "completely uninhibited, a great singer and dancer."

The B.C. RCMP said the victim died after being hit by a Subaru Impreza on the highway around noon last Saturday, near Canyon Road. 

"Tragically, the pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene," RCMP Cpl. Mike Moore said in a statement Wednesday.

The driver, a 60-year-old man from Vernon, remained on the scene and was co-operative with investigators, RCMP said.

Jones is the latest person killed by a motorist on a B.C. highway. On Wednesday, a driver struck and killed Claire Newman, a city councillor in Merritt, B.C., on Highway 16 near Valemount, B.C. In a statement, police suggested the 46-year-old's death may have been a hit-and-run.

CBC News requested an update Friday from the RCMP on the Highway 97A investigation, but did not hear back by time of publication.

Jones' death a 'preventable tragedy'

Jones' First Nation and several family members confirmed his identity, and said the community is holding memorial events for Jones all weekend.

"We are all in mourning for our dear Harry, who was simply trying to cross the road at a designated crosswalk," Splatsín Coun. Sabrina Vergata said in a statement on Friday. "It is absolutely unacceptable that this preventable tragedy occurred.

"For such a busy highway, a regular set of traffic lights is needed as soon as possible to ensure that pedestrians may safely cross in the future and tragedies like this do not happen again."

B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, which is responsible for maintaining highway infrastructure, called Jones' death a "tragic accident" and passed on condolences to his family, friends and community in the emailed statement.

The ministry has been working with the Splatsín First Nation and the City of Enderby to design "signals at the intersection to improve safety for pedestrians" since the spring 2021, according to the statement.

"The design for this safety upgrade is expected to be complete this summer," the spokesperson said. "Funding is in place for the project so when the design is complete the ministry can immediately call for tenders and start construction."

Community mourns

Jones' favourite bar, Fortune Landing, has also planned a karaoke event in his honour next Friday, after his memorial events are over.

A server at the bar told CBC News she met Jones on her first shift there and immediately learned he was an avid dancer.

"I said, 'Would you like a drink?' and he said, 'I don't drink here, I just come here to dance,'" said Mai Moonen in a phone interview. "He loved to do that. 

"He comes every weekend to do karaoke, singing and dancing.… He was a character."

She also said he should be remembered for his Indigenous artwork, with Moonen describing Jones as "a beautiful artist" and "very talented."

The First Nation also praised Jones' artistic abilities, and asked for people with his artwork to bring it to a memorial event at the local community centre to display on a table.

"Jones was well-known within the community as a kind person, a talented artist, and a colourful personality," the First Nation said in a statement Friday. "He was an active participant in many of the band's community events."

Band councillor Vergata said the tragic event on the highway next to their reserve of nearly 1,000 people has "severely impacted our entire community."