Vacationing California family dies in crash
Posted By Admin on July 31, 2011
All four members of a vacationing California family died in Kootenay National Park when a tractor-trailer smashed head-on into their van, pinning it against a barrier and causing it to burst into flames.
The parents and their two young daughters were northbound on Highway 93 on Friday in a Dodge camper van towing a Suzuki Sidekick compact fourby-four when an oncoming tractor-trailer crossed the centre line and jack-knifed into the van.
The van drove onto the roads shoulder as the driver tried to swerve away from the approaching truck before it pinned the van against the barrier and the vehicles ignited in flames, witnesses told the RCMP.
Nearby motorists stopped to help the truck driver escape but the fire was already too big to rescue the family, RCMP said.
The family, from Palo Alto, Calif., had entered BC on Thursday. American newspapers reported they were headed to Jasper and Banff on a vacation. Members of the family were identified as Ana-Marie Dias, 50; Robert Howard, 49; Samantha, 12; and Veronica, 10.
The driver of the truck, a 40-year-old Upper Fraser Valley man, was detained by investigators and later released pending further investigation.
Were looking at the mechanical conditions of the vehicle to determine whether mechanical failure was a factor, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
Then [we will] look at the actions of the truck driver as to what caused his vehicle to come over across the centre line and jack-knife into traffic.
Moskaluk said police know there is video footage of the crash site on YouTube and are looking for more footage to help understand what happened.
We have access to that portion [of video on YouTube], but wed like to determine if that person took further video or if any other onlookers took any video as well.
Road conditions were wet at the time of the accident, according to police.
The truck was travelling south down a curved stretch near Olive Lake, about 12 kilometres east of Radium Hot Springs, when it collided with the camper van heading northbound at around 3 pm
The vehicles were removed late Friday evening and the highway was fully reopened Saturday.
Investigators are asking anyone who saw the vehicles before the crash or anyone who may have video footage or photos of the crash to contact the RCMPs East Kootenay Traffic Services at 250-420-4244.
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