UPDATE:
A young man died at the scene when his truck crashed into a house in Kelowna early Saturday, and investigators from the RCMP and B.C. Coroners Service are working to figure out what caused the fatal overnight collision.
According to police, a white GMC Sierra truck, heading west, left the road and entered the front yard of the residence at around 1 a.m.
“The pickup truck smashed through a wooden fence, collided with the corner of the residential home and struck a shed on the property before coming to final rest, nose first, in a back-yard swimming pool,” said Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “The driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle, was ejected from the pickup truck and a short time later pulled from the pool by bystanders who rushed in to help.
“Despite the best efforts of bystanders and emergency responders, the driver, who police believe to be a 20-year-old man from northern B.C., was pronounced deceased at the scene. No one associated to the residence reportedly sustained any injuries.”
Police said Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services (ICARS) attended the scene to examine the accident.
“The vehicle, which is slated to undergo a mechanical inspection, has been seized by investigators, who have yet to rule out speed or intoxicating substances as contributing factors in this crash,” said O’Donaghey.
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Neighbour Christopher Blomquist said he witnessed part of the accident.
“I was standing down in my carport and I witnessed a vehicle accelerating through the intersection and immediately followed a big crash,” said Blomquist. “So I came out and I ran up to this house on the corner, and then that’s when I observed that a gentleman had gone right through the yard here, through the corner of the house and into the swimming pool in his truck.”
Blomquist said he was the first on the scene and he jumped into pool to rescue the driver. Blomquist said he searched the cab, but it was dark and he couldn’t find him, though the driver was later located in the pool and pulled out, with CPR attempts being made.
Blomquist called the scene “quite horrendous.”
If you witnessed this crash and have not yet spoken to police you are urged to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A home in Kelowna has extensive damage after a vehicle smashed into it early Saturday.
Yellow police tape surrounded the home, located on the corner of Cadder Avenue–Springfield Road and Ethel Street.
The vehicle, which a neighbour told Global News was a truck, was heading west on Springfield when it went through a set of lights at Ethel before crossing the centre line at approximately 1 a.m.
The truck smashed through a fence, drove through the yard, then slammed into a parked car and clipped part of the house before coming to a stop, nose-deep in a pool, according to a neighbour.
A bottom corner of the house was carved out, with the crawl space or basement clearly visible.
“We heard the crash and we felt our house shake. It was crazy.” a neighbour told Global news.
Calling it an “insane” incident, the neighbour said emergency crews were on the scene for at least two hours.
More on this as it develops.
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