KELOWNA, B.C. — A motorcyclist riding with his teenage son on the back has been killed after a collision with a deer on Highway 33 in the southern B.C. Interior.
Police said the motorcyclist was about 10 kilometres north of Beaverdell, B.C., Saturday morning when a deer crossed the road and hit the motorbike.
The motorcyclist, who was a resident of Grand Forks, died of his injuries, and his male passenger was taken to Kelowna General Hospital, treated for minor injuries and released.
Police say that neither alcohol nor speed was determined to be a contributing factor in the accident.
Ed Desaulniers, who manages the Beaverdell store, said the pair had visited his shop minutes before the crash.
Kelowna RCMP remind motorists to always be vigilant on the roadway with regards to animals crossing the road, advice echoed by Desaulniers.
“This whole highway is a bad stretch for hitting deer,” he said.
“People need to slow down when deer come up on the shoulder. Go slow in case you have to stop quick.”
Desaulniers said he travels the highway three times a week and sees a lot of vehicle-deer collisions.
“They dart out and ram the side of the vehicle. It’s very seldom I see a vehicle hit a deer head-on, except if it’s a transport truck,” he said.