Tragic Weekend Throughout B.C.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 03:57 AM

It has been a deadly long weekend in B.C..

The tragedies started Friday in the Port Alberni area when a 53 year old man from Nanaimo drowned after the boat he and his wife were in, flipped on Sproat Lake. She was wearing a life jacket, he was not. Also on Friday, a 23 year old Port Alberni man died when the ATV he was riding near Nahmint Lake flipped.

Names are not being released at this time and the investigations are continuing. Alcohol appears to have been a factor in these two incidents. Police and the Coroner’s office continue their investigations.

On Saturday afternoon, Agassiz RCMP were notified of a female hiker who fell into Rainbow falls from a steep trail along side the falls and could not be located. Her body was discovered down a steep embankment near the bottom of the falls about three hours later. The name of the 46 year old Chilliwack woman has not been released.

On Sunday Agassiz RCMP received a report of a missing camper who had been camping on the East Side of Harrison Lake. The male, age 19 of Delta BC, had last been scene on Saturday night, on Monday morning the vehicle the male had departed in was located off road left 400 feet down a steep embankment near the 27 kilometre mark of the Forest Services Road on the East Side of Harrison Lake. Agassiz RCMP, and Kent Harrison Search and Rescue were called to the scene where the missing male was found deceased. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in this crash.

Also on Sunday, 46 year old Adrien Joseph Lozeau, was found deceased in the Barriere River. He had last been seen around 1:00 am May 17 at a gathering with about 15 people. His body was located about 1 km downstream from the campsite. Again, alcohol is believed to have been a factor in this death.

Monday, a 6 year old boy died after being pulled from the frigid water of Lynn Creek. Police say he had fallen into the water when he slipped on the rocks at the creek’s edge. He was swept downstream about 400 meters. Search and rescue teams pulled the boy from the water and took him to B.C. Children’s Hospital, where he died.

On the highways, there was a double fatal crash Sunday afternoon near Douglas Lake Ranch. RCMP say a southbound pickup truck went off of Douglas Lake Road on a corner and rolled, ejecting the three occupants who were all un-belted.

The male driver and a male passenger were pronounced deceased at the scene. The female passenger was transported by helicopter to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops in serious condition. All three involved in this crash are in their 50’s and residents of the Merritt area. Names will not be released until next of kin have been notified.

The details of the weekend highway crackdown by RCMP will be released later today.

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