UPDATE 9:30 a.m.
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) President and Vice-Chancellor Brett Fairbairn confirmed on Thursday morning that the person who died in the crash was a member of the school’s men’s volleyball team.
“It is hard to find words that express how we feel in these moments, in the face of such inexplicable tragedy,” Fairbairn said in his president’s message. “Our most sincere thoughts are with their families and loved ones, and on behalf of TRU, I offer our deepest condolences. We grieve with them, along with others, including their teammates, friends, classmates, and professors. This is a loss for the TRU community that will be felt for a long time.”
The other two people in the vehicle who have suffered serious injures are also on the men’s volleyball team roster.
The university will not be disclosing personal information about the athlete at this time. TRU athletics has postponed all their games at this time.
Original
One person is dead as a result of a multi-vehicle crash that occurred near Thompson Rivers University on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
The crash happened at the intersection of University Drive and McGill Road around 3 p.m. A Dodge Ram truck collided with several small trees and struck a Volkswagen that was stopped at the red light. This crash created a second crash with four other vehicles.
All three people in the Volkswagen, all in their 20s, were all taken to Royal Inland Hospital. One died from their injuries while the other two suffered serious injuries but the extent of them is unknown at this time. Two people in a Jeep involved in the crash were also taken to hospital and have non-life-threatening injuries.
“Our hearts are broken for the victims and their families involved in this terrible tragedy,” said Kamloops RCMP officer in charge Supt. Jeff Pelley. “The three young adults in the Volkswagen were all members of the community in their 20s, and the loss is sure to have far-reaching impacts as we struggle to understand what happened and advance the active investigation as a priority.”
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