B.C. man arrested after allegedly driving wrong way in deadly Coquihalla crash

MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Police have arrested a driver involved in a fatal crash on the Coquihalla Highway on allegations he was going in the wrong direction and was impaired.

The BC Highway Patrol says in a statement that the crash happened Saturday at around 8:30 in the morning as multiple witnesses reported a vehicle travelling southbound in the northbound lanes near Merritt, B.C.

While officers were on their way, a head-on crash occurred and police arrived to find a pickup truck and an SUV both heavily damaged in the crash site.

A 24-year-old passenger in the SUV, a man from Surrey, B.C., died at the scene.

Three other men in the SUV, all from Surrey, have been hospitalized with serious injuries, while the 22-year-old driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries.

Police say the pickup truck’s driver, a man from Coldwater, B.C., has been arrested on suspected impaired driving.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

The Canadian Press