Fatal crash on Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt. (Image credit: Anthony Baril Kubwicz via Global BC).

By Aaron Schulze & Vernon Matters

Cause unknown

UPDATE: Fatal crash closes southbound lanes of Coquihalla Highway

Aug 30, 2022 | 9:00 AM

UPDATE: 9:00 a.m.
Aug. 30, 2022

RCMP say a clearer picture is emerging in the aftermath of a fatal collision on Highway 5 south of Merritt.

On Monday, August 29, just after 6:00 a.m., Merritt RCMP and Emergency Services responded to a collision in the southbound lanes of Highway 5 near Comstock, south of Merritt.

Upon arrival, it was determined that a slow-moving commercial transport truck was rear-ended by a second commercial transport truck which subsequently caught fire in addition to the grass median between the northbound and southbound lanes.

The driver of the slower moving transport truck, a man from Edmonton, was uninjured in the collision. The driver of the second transport truck, a man from Winnipeg, was trapped and died as a result of the collision. The co-driver in the second transport truck, also a man from Winnipeg, extricated himself from the cab but not before sustaining serious, life-threatening injuries.

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Highway 5 was closed in both directions for approximately two hours due to the intensity of the fire which completely consumed the second transport truck. Access to the scene for investigation was hampered due to the fire re-igniting. The Merritt Fire Department and the BC Wildfire Service were engaged to monitor the fire to ensure it did not spread to the surrounding area.

The northbound lanes were later opened and the southbound lanes remained closed most of the day as police investigated and crews removed debris from the crash. It was determined that neither transport truck was carrying dangerous goods.

BC Highway Patrol has assumed conduct of the investigation with assistance from Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers, the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service and the BC Coroners’ Service.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and nothing has been ruled out.

Anyone with information regarding this collision, including any dashboard camera video, is asked to contact BC Highway Patrol Merritt at 250-378-4262 and cite file 2022-4023. Investigators would like to speak with the person who stopped at the scene, identified themselves as a witness, but did not provide their name or contact information.

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B.C. Highway Patrol confirms one person is dead and another was sent to hospital with serious injuries following a two-vehicle crash on the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt.

Cpl. Mike Halskov told CFJC Today that a semi-truck broke down and pulled over to the side of the stretch of Highway 5 before being rear-ended by another semi-truck travelling at highway speeds at around 6 a.m. Monday. He says the driver of the front semi was ejected out of the front window.

Halskov says drivers should expect the southbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt to remain closed for a few hours as crews try to contain a fire that was caused by the crash.

DriveBC first reported of the incident on Highway 5 between Exit 286 and Comstock Road at around 6:45 a.m. Monday (Aug. 29).

Check DriveBC for updates.