One person is dead after a fatal two-vehicle crash last night on Highway 1 about 35 km east of Revelstoke.

RCMP say they responded about 7:40 p.m. to a crash between an eastbound semi-truck and a westbound pickup truck.

“The driver of the [pickup] truck was deceased on scene,” said Staff Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky. “The driver of the commercial vehicle sustained serious neck and back injuries.”

RCMP say the investigation is still in early stages, but it appears that the pickup truck hit another semi about 1 km earlier and then went head on into the second vehicle.

“Alcohol may have been a factor,” Grabinsky noted. “Other vehicle drivers that happened along the collision scene attempted to offer first aid. The deceased driver is from Alberta.”

He says road conditions were under ‘good winter driving’ conditions with temperatures at approximately -5 C with clear roads, and excellent visibility at the time.

The highway was closed for several hours, but it reopened around 1:30 a.m. this morning.