Eastbound traffic at a stand still on the Trans Canada south of Blind Bay at around 10:30 Wednesday morning following fatal crash in the area/DriveBC

A man from Sorrento has been identified as the victim of a head-on crash along the Trans Canada Highway through the Shuswap on Wednesday which snarled traffic through the area for hours.

RCMP say the 40 year old driver appeared to have pulled on to Highway 1 from somewhere in the Blind Bay area at around 10am, but did not cross over the divided highway — ending up driving in the wrong direction.

This eventually led to a head-on crash just south of Blind Bay with a semi heading up from Salmon Arm.

“Sadly, the driver, and only occupant, a 40-year-old man from Sorrento, BC, succumbed to injuries he’d sustained and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” said Cpl. James Grandy, BC RCMP spokesperson.

Mounties say the driver and passenger in the tractor-trailer suffered only minor injuries.

The Trans Canada was shut down through the area in both directions for around six hours on Wednesday as the RCMP conducted its investigation before clearing the road and allowing traffic to resume around mid-afternoon.

RCMP have not said whether impairment through drugs or alcohol may have been a factor, saying only that the investigation is on going.

The victim’s name has not been released.