The identities of the two drivers who died as a result of a Monday morning's motor vehicle incident on Highway 16 near Fraser Lake have been confirmed.
The deceased are Raymond Mooreside, 62, from Fraser Lake and Joan Breed, 67, from Prince George, the B.C. Coroners Service said Wednesday.
Police have said the Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicle Breed was driving west on Highway 16 crossed the centre line near the Beaumont Provincial Park turnoff about 142 kilometres west of Prince George and struck Mooreside's Toyota Tercel head on.
The collision pushed Mooreside's car into a commercial truck and trailer which was then struck from behind by a commercial crane unit. The drivers of both commercial vehicles escaped injury.
Mooreside was taken to Fraser Lake Diagnostic and Treatment Centre where he was pronounced dead. Breed was taken to St. John's Hospital in Vanderhoof and then by air-ambulance to Vancouver General Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries late Monday night.
A passenger in Breed's vehicle, who police indicated was her daughter, was critically injured but was in stable condition in the hospital in Vancouver.
The B.C. Coroners Service and RCMP traffic services continue to investigate the incident..
Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad said Wednesday there have been improvements made to Highway 16 West in the vicinity of where he understands the collisions occurred, although not at the exact spot.
"We widened the bridge, we put in some additional signage around slowing down and as well as reflectives along the side, so there has been a fair bit of work that had been done right in that general area to try to improve road safety," Rustad said.
Asked if further improvements are in order, Rustad said there isn't anything currently planned but added he will be talking with Ministry of Transportation officials about whether anything can be done to improve the stretch where the incident occurred.
"It is an area that is shaded and so it will have ice from time to time," Rustad said. "The maintenance crews know that and so they try to get out there with sanding during winter conditions."
With the dramatically growing number of commercial vehicles using Highway 16 West, Rustad said he has been continually pushing for additional passing lanes although four-laning is out of the question for the time being.
"If we had basically enough passing lanes to make it alternating three lanes, I think that would significantly improve safety," Rustad said.
