Employers fundraise to support Oliver family of truck crash victim

The Village of Oliver is rallying around the grieving family of 45-year-old Pat Gaudet.

The husband and father of two died after the transport truck he was driving lost control and plummeted down a steep embankment off Highway 3 near Manning Park on February 28.

Gaudet was trapped upside down in the twisted wreckage for two days before he was finally rescued alive, but died later at Royal Columbian Hospital.

Gaudet’s wife Yvonne works at the Fairview Mountain golf course in Oliver as an executive chef.

General Manager Brian McDonald has raised more than $27,000 for the family through an online fundraising campaign.

“She’s been a big part of our team here at Fairview Mountain and she’s really close to us. The girls have been around so they play a big part in who we are here at the club,” he said.

McDonald said Yvonne rushed to the scene of the accident and witnessed her husband’s extraction.

“I think it was very difficult for Yvonne just from the fact it took a long time to get Pat out of the vehicle. It took 10-plus hours to free him. They had to remove the transmission. It was a very challenging expedition to get him out of the vehicle,” he said.

McDonald said despite her week of despair, then hope, and now grief, Yvonne remains strong.

“Right now I think she’s been amazingly strong for her girls.”

Gaudet’s employer, Sutco, has also raised more than $20,000 for the Gaudet family.

Vice President Dave Sutherland said Gaudet’s passing is a loss to the entire trucking community.

As far as a cause of the accident, that remains a mystery.

There were no skid marks, no damage to the guard rails and Gaudet was a 26-year truck driving veteran.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch and the RCMP continue to investigate.

A memorial mass will be held at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Oliver on Friday.