One semi truck driver is dead after a six-truck pile up 26 kilometres south of Merritt that closed the Coquihalla Highway for nearly ten hours on Tuesday.
The driver, who was pinned underneath one of the vehicles, was pronounced dead at the scene, while another truck driver was taken to the Nicola Valley Health Centre with minor injuries, said Merritt RCMP Cst. Tracy Dunsmore.
A major snowstorm overnight, with 18 cm of snow accumulating in a matter of hours, made visibility poor and road conditions hazardous, said Dunsmore.
Merritt RCMP first received a report of a multiple vehicle accident near the Coldwater Interchange on Highway 5 at 2:30 a.m. from another truck driver.
The driver advised RCMP that he had received a call on his radio asking him to contact police about an accident involving three semi trucks.
When RCMP attended the scene, they noted it had been snowing for several hours and was still snowing.
As RCMP attempted to locate all of the involved parties, they realized that the driver of the first vehicle was not accounted for and so they conducted an intensive search of the surrounding area, which lasted several hours, said Dunsmore.
The driver was located pinned beneath one of the original four vehicles at 5:15 a.m. after tow trucks arrived on scene to move the vehicles.
“It is believed that he had exited his vehicle during the incident and due to visibility and conditions was struck by another vehicle without being detected,” said Dunsmore.
Following the fatal early-morning accident, the Coquihalla Highway was closed in both directions. Single lane traffic between Merritt and Hope opened just before noon, but the highway could not fully open until 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.
