Police watchdog investigating fatal Sea-Doo crash on Okanagan Lake involving off-duty Mountie

The incident unfolded yesterday near Summerland

  • Aug. 6, 2021 12:00 a.m.

Man brought to shore in Summerland by private boat on Okanagan Lake. (John Arendt/ Summerland Review)

A man seriously injured in a collision between two personal watercraft on Okanagan Lake has died.

The incident unfolded on Thursday, Aug. 5, at about 11:30 a.m. West Kelowna RCMP received a report of an unconscious man on a Sea-Doo somewhere between West Kelowna and Peachland. However, it appeared the man was actually closer to Summerland.

Officers reached out to private boaters in the area to see if someone could help the man on the Sea-Doo.

According to RCMP, officers were called to a boat launch in Summerland where they met the operator of one of the watercraft, who identified themselves as an off-duty RCMP officer. The operator of the other watercraft was the man who died as a result of the crash.

Due to a Mountie being involved in this incident, the BC Independent Investigations Office has been called in to investigate the off-duty officer’s actions.

READ MORE: ‘We got your back’: Okanagan Indian Band firefighters


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