Grandfather of top hockey prospect Connor Bedard identified as 1 of 2 drivers killed in head-on B.C. crash
CBC News | Posted: April 7, 2021 6:37 PM | Last Updated: April 7, 2021
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.
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.