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The scene of a crash that happened on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at around 8:30 a.m., when police were called by multiple witnesses reporting a vehicle travelling southbound in the northbound lanes on the Coquihalla Highway near Merritt, B.C., is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — BC Highway Patrol (Mandatory Credit)
By The Canadian Press

B.C. man arrested after allegedly driving wrong way in deadly Coquihalla crash

Oct 19, 2026 | 10:32 AM

MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Police have arrested a driver involved in a fatal crash on the Coquihalla Highway on allegations he was going in the wrong direction and was impaired.

The BC Highway Patrol says in a statement that the crash happened Saturday at around 8:30 in the morning as multiple witnesses reported a vehicle travelling southbound in the northbound lanes near Merritt, B.C.

While officers were on their way, a head-on crash occurred and police arrived to find a pickup truck and an SUV both heavily damaged in the crash site.

A 24-year-old passenger in the SUV, a man from Surrey, B.C., died at the scene.

Three other men in the SUV, all from Surrey, have been hospitalized with serious injuries, while the 22-year-old driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries.

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Police say the pickup truck’s driver, a man from Coldwater, B.C., has been arrested on suspected impaired driving.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

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