The Brimicombes' car in Hat Creek following the crash back in June 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
July 27, 2024 - 12:00 PM
A British couple was enjoying a driving holiday when their car ended up in a creek near Kamloops, and now their rescuers are being awarded for their courage.
Nicholas Froese from Kelowna, and Ken MacKenzie from Lac La Hache recently received Commanding Officer Commendations for rescuing the couple two years ago, according to a press release from RCMP on June 25, 2024.
In 2022, Janet and Mark Brimicombe were driving around the B.C. Interior after visiting family in Vancouver. The British couple ended up on Highway 99 near Hat Creek when their June holiday took a turn for the worse.
The Brimicombes’ car went off the highway, through a fence, rolled 170 feet down a large, steep embankment, and ended up in Hat Creek. The couple each had serious injuries, and the situation could have been life or death as the fast moving water was rapidly filling their car.
Froese and MacKenzie saw the crash and quickly took action. The pair made it down the embankment and managed to open the car’s sunroof.
"We had rolled down into the river 170 feet below, and ended up out of sight of the road. Our rescuers were brave, calm, and quick-thinking," the Brimicombes said in the release. "Once they realized we were still alive, they came down and helped us to get out of the car, cross the river and up the very steep embankment."
The car in Hat Creek in the top left and the steep embankment off Highway 99 in June 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
After the rescuers helped the tourists escape through the sunroof, and helped them up the embankment, Froese and MacKenzie gave the couple first aid and called 911.
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After the crash the Brimicombes were taken to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops for their injuries, which would have been worse if not for Froese and MacKenzie.
Now, years after the event, the rescuers have been awarded and the Brimicombes are safe at home in the U.K.
“This award is so richly deserved,” the Brimicombes said. “The road accident was a most distressing and disorientating event. We still think of them and can’t bear to think of what would have happened had they not been there.”
Ken MacKenzie receiving an award from an RCMP officer on the left, and Nicholas Froese receiving his award on the right.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
Mark and Janet Brimicombe safe and sound back home in the U.K. after their crash in June 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
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