
Ambulances on the side of the Coquihalla on Saturday as crews await the five victims of a single-vehicle crash north of Merritt Saturday afternoon/via Angie Vasey on Facebook
A crash on the Coquihalla on Saturday afternoon which shut down the highway toward Kamloops for several hours took one person’s life.
“On October 5, 2024 at approximately 3:50 pm, frontline Merritt RCMP officers attended a serious single motor vehicle incident on Highway 5 north of Juliet Road,” stated the RCMP in a release. “A four-door sedan travelling northbound had gone off the road at a high rate of speed eventually rolling before coming to a stop.”
Mounties say there were five people in the vehicle at the time.
“Four passengers were taken to hospital and 1 person was declared deceased despite lifesaving efforts by first responders,” said the Mounties. “Merritt RCMP are actively investigating the cause of the incident and have engaged the services of the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (CARS) to assist.”
RCMP say while drugs or alcohol have been ruled out, they say speed was likely a factor.
We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of those involved in this serious incident,
said Cpl. Brett Urano, RCMP spokesperson. We would like to thank all those who provided aid to those involved with the incident, including BC Emergency Health Services and Merritt Fire.
Our officers are continuing our investigation and request anyone who has not spoken with police to contact the Merritt RCMP Detachment.