The community of Hope, B.C. has been shaken by the deaths of three young men killed in a horrific crash on Highway One Friday morning.
The trio, apparently all related, were in a car travelling westbound on the highway when it crashed into the Hunter Creek weigh station at around 4 a.m.
A passing truck noticed the smashed up vehicle and called police. Officers found all three occupants of the car dead inside.
While Mounties have not confirmed the names of any of the victims, two have been identified on social media as Morgan Peters and Brad Webb.
“Brad was such a nice young man, he was good friends with some of my kids. Quiet, polite, outgoing, loved by the school. The school yesterday was really in shock,” said Pastor Jeff Kuhn, who added that all three men in the car were related.
“My understanding is that the two other boys were Brad’s cousins. Brad, it was his birthday the morning that he died. He turned 20 that day,” he said.
Webb graduated from Hope Secondary School in 2013, and Kuhn said his and the others’ deaths have sent shockwaves through the school.
“It’s just having a huge ripple,” he said. “It really affects and impacts the youth, because when you’re young, you don’t think about death.”
Hope Mayor Wilfried Vicktor said the deaths are also being felt throughout the community.
“Just intense shock and sadness. The community is very concerned about the families,” he said. “Hope is a very tight-knit community, and everyone wants to do something.”
Vicktor said the town will rally behind the families and offer support in any way they can.
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined, but an investigation by RCMP’s Integrated Collision Analyst Reconstruction Section, Fraser Valley Traffic Services and the BC Coroner’s Service is ongoing.
