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June 13, 2014 - 1:35 PM
“I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD HUG THEIR CHILD. IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANY ONE OF US”
LYTTON – Community members from Lytton, Lillooet and neighbouring hamlets are in mourning today after three young adults were killed in a car crash and a fourth was severely injured.
The two female and two male passengers were travelling to pick root vegetables, when the car went over the embankment four kilometres northeast of Lytton. One male passenger survived and was rescued early this morning after spending the night trapped in the vehicle.
Chris O’Connor, a forester in Lytton, says why the car went over the edge remains a mystery; it’s a relatively straight stretch of highway.
“I’ve driven that road hundreds if not thousands of times,” O’Connor says. “That particular stretch of road is not treacherous – bit narrower and gravelled.”
O’Connor said a mill worker died after crashing his vehicle in the same location nearly 25 years ago.
Upon hearing the news of the crash, O’Connor says it struck a chord with him; his daughter is around the same age.
“I think everybody should hug their child . . . it could happen to any one of us,” he said.
The four people were overdue to return to the Pasulko Lake area June 11, prompting a search of their route, which included Pemberton Search and Rescue, RCMP helicopter in Kamloops, community and family members.
They are identified on a missing poster passed around on June 12. Chantel Deneault and Shelly Garcia of Lytton and Baron Joe of Lillooet died in the crash. Joseph Phillips Garcia is the only survivor. He is currently under hospital care.
To contact a reporter for this story, email gbrothen@infotelnews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
— Updated 1:31 p.m. June 13 to include information from Lytton.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014