Man hit and killed by car while trying to help after Coquihalla crash

MERRITT (NEWS 1130) – A man is dead after a crash on the Coquihalla Highway over the weekend.

It happened over the noon hour on Sunday about 32 kilometres south of Merritt, bear Larson Hill.

Six vehicle were involved in the crash. The 35-year-old man from the Lower Mainland stopped and got out of his car to help. He was hit and killed by another car.

A 78-year-old man was air-lifted to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Two other people had minor injuries.

Constable Mike Halskov with BC RCMP Traffic Services says while you may have good intentions, it’s never a good idea to put yourself in harm’s way.

“My best advice is if at all possible, remain in your vehicle,” he explains.

“I mean, this crash happened in daylight when, conceivably, things are fairly visible for other motorists… if this were to happen at night, for example, it would be even more dangerous for someone to get out of their vehicle and try to render assistance in a situation like that, where other motorists are going to come upon you with little to no warning and put you in harm’s way really quickly and could result in a tragic situation like this.”

“I know people want to do the right thing. The best thing they can do is call 9-1-1 and get themselves to a place of safety and wait for help,” he adds.

The highway was closed northbound for 10 hours. The cause of the crash is believed to be speed relative to road conditions and sudden changes in road condition in shaded areas of the highway.

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