Teenager and two elderly people dead in Hwy 97 traffic accident

KELOWNA – A 14-year-old boy from Victoria and two elderly people from Vernon, died in a traffic accident on Highway 97 near Duck Lake Tuesday evening.

Police on scene spoke to witnesses who said the Chevy Malibu the boy and an 82-year-old man and 79-year-old woman were in crossed into oncoming traffic, sideswiping a southbound Kia Forte before crashing head-on with a five-ton commercial truck. All three people in the Malibu died at the scene.

The driver of the truck and two people in the Kia received serious but non-life-threatening injuries. They were transported to hospital.

Names of the deceased are being held until family is notified.

The accident happened at 4:42 and the highway was closed for several hours while emergency crews cared for the injured and investigators collected and analyzed crash data.

Police are seeking further witnesses to this tragic event and are asking anyone with any information to call the Central Okanagan Traffic Services, Const. Schneider, at 250-980-5353. Remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting to CRIMES (274637) ktown.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

—This story was updated at 1:15 p.m. July 16 to say the three victims were from Vernon. 

— This story was corrected July 23, 2014. One of the victims was from Victoria, not Vernon.