UPDATE: The victim of a fatal crash yesterday on the Okanagan Connector has been identified as former Q101 broadcaster Jesse Pakulat.

Elizabeth Laird, general manager of the independently-owned radio station, confirms in a Facebook post that Pakulat, 32, died suddenly yesterday, and people close to the situation have confirmed Pakulat was the victim in the crash.

“Jesse was afternoon announcer from 2016 to 2019 and made many deep community connections in Merritt and the Nicola Valley during his time on the air,” Laird says in a post on the Q101 Merritt Facebook page.

“Along with family, friends and listeners who are mourning his loss, Merritt Broadcasting will also respect the wishes of Jesse’s family for privacy at this time.”

Pakulak was the afternoon drive host at the station until June of this year.

ORIGINAL: A 32-year-old man from Merritt was killed in a crash yesterday on the Okanagan Connector.

Merritt RCMP Staff Sgt. Lorne Wood says the fatal crash happened at about 3 p.m. near the Pothole Creek bridge on Highway 97C.

“Investigation revealed that a westbound car lost control and spun into oncoming traffic causing the impact with an eastbound pickup truck. The nature of the crash dictated that, obviously with air ambulance, the highway had to be closed in both directions, and then once the fatality was confirmed that closure did extend for several hours,” Wood says.

“Members of Central Interior Traffic Services are examining the roadway marks and that for a better estimate on the speed, but there’s nothing really leading up to, from what the witnesses have said, to indicate speed or anything like that being a factor.”

Wood says the driver of the pickup truck was not injured in the crash.

He says the BC Coroners Service is now leading the investigation.