A man who allegedly stole a truck from a Coalmont driveway early Wednesday morning Nov. 4, died instantly less than an hour later when that truck collided with a tractor trailer on Highway 3.
The victim is a 35-year-old man, of no fixed address but known to police in the South Okanagan.
“It’s clear that with the level of damage caused, excessive speed would have been involved and be considered a factor,” said Princeton RCMP Sgt. Rob Hughes.
Hughes said the semi-trailer, which was parked well off the highway, was pushed forward approximately 20 feet by the collision.
Police received a report of the stolen truck, a 2011 Chevrolet diesel, at 7:06 a.m.
The truck was left idling in the owner’s driveway.
A short time later RCMP took a second call from someone in the household, indicating the truck’s owner followed the vehicle and observed it turning east onto Highway 3.
Officers immediately headed in that direction, and then received a report of a crash on Highway 3 west, near Sunday Summit, involving the suspect vehicle.
The investigation is continuing, said Hughes.
It is the second time this year that a person has died in an accident, in the area, involving a stolen vehicle.
In August a passenger was killed after a stolen truck, carrying a trailer loaded with canoes, crashed over the embankment on Highway 3 above Memorial Park.
Related: Passenger killed after stolen truck crashes while pulling canoes on Highway 3
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