Emergency services, including Creston RCMP and Creston Fire Rescue, responded to a fatal two-vehicle collision north of Sanca Creek that shut down Highway 3A on the East Shore of Kootenay Lake for a few hours overnight on Jan. 18 and 19.
The RCMP's preliminary investigation found that a northbound vehicle being operated by an 82-year-old man — initially reported as an 84-year-old — crossed the centre line and collided with a southbound vehicle.
“The southbound driver, a [52-year-old] Creston resident, was treated and released on scene by ambulance personnel,” said Sgt. Einor Jorgenson of East Kootenay Traffic Services in a press release.
East Kootenay Traffic Services took charge of the investigation, assisted by a collision reconstructionist with Southeast District Traffic Services, who will attempt to determine the cause of the accident, which occurred just before 7:30 p.m.
“At this time, alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in this collision,” said Jorgenson.
For most of the night, traffic was single-lane before both lanes were opened early Jan. 19.
The 82-year-old victim was identified as Glen McKenzie, who had lived in Boswell since 1992. He has been married to Verna Mayers-McKenzie — a former Regional District of Central Kootenay director and School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) trustee — since 1989.