Police are investigating after a vehicle crash south of Vernon resulted in a fatality.
Police, ambulance and fire personnel responded to the two-vehicle crash on Highway 97 at the intersection of Birnie Road around 8:20 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 15. One of the vehicles, a Toyota pickup truck, had caught fire and was fully engulfed by the time emergency crews arrived.
Sadly, the driver and lone occupant of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene and has been identified as a 41-year-old Lake Country man.
The other driver of a commercial vehicle escaped the incident with non-life threatening injuries.
According to the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, the initial investigation found that the collision occurred when the pickup truck, travelling northbound on the highway, crossed into the southbound lanes and was struck by the large commercial vehicle heading the other direction.
Highway 97 was closed for about four hours to allow emergency personnel to safely complete their work and for police to conduct their investigation.
A member of the RCMP Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services team attended to conduct a full examination of the scene and is assisting with the investigation.
Anyone who witnessed the collision, or has dash-cam video, is asked to contact the RCMP at 250-545-7171.
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