A Kelowna man was killed Monday morning after being struck by oncoming traffic while re-fuelling his truck on the side of Highway 97.
The collision happened at around 6:24 a.m. when a pick up travelling north bound on Highway 97 near Oceola Road and Pelmewash Parkway in Lake Country ran into the man as he stood next to his vehicle.
The victim, believed to be in his late 20s early 30s, died en route to the hospital.
Const. Steve Holmes said there’s no indication that the driver of the truck, a man from Princeton, had any impairment issues.
It may have been a case of wrong place, wrong time, for all involved.
The victim’s car ran out of fuel very close to the fog line. And when he returned from the closest service station with a jerry can in hand, he had to fill up on the traffic side of the vehicle.
There’s a slight curve to the road, and the time of the crash meant there wasn’t quite full sunlight on the road. The victim had also not put on his hazard lights.
“Evidence shows that (the driver) didn’t see the victim,” said Const. Holmes.
The Princeton man stayed on scene after the collision and suffered no injuries.
As of yet, no charges have been laid against him, although the investigation is ongoing.
Traffic was reduced to one lane for two-and-half hours as a crash analyst went over the scene.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The RCMP are asking any witnesses to the event to contact Const. Beth Paetz of the Central Okanagan Traffic Services at 250-980-5353.
