Family is confirming that one of two people killed in an accident in Harrison on Sunday was Joshua Desrosiers of Aldergrove.
Two people have died and another seriously hurt in a crash that sent a vehicle tumbling down a slope into Harrison Lake, confirmed Agassiz RCMP.
The Mounties say they were alerted at around 10 a.m. on Sunday (Nov. 3).
The RCMP, as well as BC Emergency Health Service and the Kent-Harrison SAR team, were all at the scene around 10:45 a.m., according to a Black Press Media freelancer.
The RCMP’s Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service was at the scene investigating the crash site.
They say the vehicle could have veered down the steep slope into Harrison Lake on Saturday night or early Sunday.
Josh’s father, Marc Desrosiers, posted the sad news on Facebook and was flooded with condolensces from hundreds of friends and acquaintances horrified by the news.
“With an extremely heavy heart, myself and my wife are sharing that we have lost our oldest son, Joshua Desrosiers, to a terrible car accident,” he posted Tuesday.
Josh, an Aldergrove Community Secondary grad, was an electrical apprentice who studied welding at Kwantlen Polytechnic University a few years ago. He was an avid sportsman, who enjoyed snowboarding and competed in curling.
“It is with great sadness we grieve the loss of Josh Desrosiers,” said a post on the Langley Curling Centre Facebook page. “Taken too soon.”
In 2014, Desrosiers was a member of the Tardi rink that qualified for the B.C. Winter Games.
His fellow curlers left messages of condolence and support for the family on the Langley Curling Centre Facebook page.
“Josh was a pleasure to be around,” wrote Wayne Moore. “I had the privilege to coach him, play against him and I have to say his easy going happy demeanour will be missed.”
“May he rest in peace. He was loved deeply not only by our family but by anyone who has met him. He will be missed beyond what words can describe, this world will not be the same without him in it,” said Dad.
The only survivor was already out of the partially submerged SUV when emergency crews arrived, and was airlifted to hospital.
Marc Desrosiers identified the survivor as Sarah Ellison.
“We are thankful that the life of Sarah Ellison was spared. She was a big part of Josh’s life and we support her on her physical and mental recovery,” he wrote.
According to Sgt. Mike Sargent, an RCMP dive team returned to the scene Monday to assess the area and retrieve the two crash victims.
“We’ll have a better idea later today [Monday] as far as how the process is going to go,” Sargent said. “It is quite remote, and the terrain isn’t overly friendly to us, so it’s definitely a challenge.”
The crash happened around the 14 kilometre marker of the Harrison East Forest Service Road, about 160 kilometres east of Vancouver, near a popular campsite.
“Many of you have heard/seen the news reports of the Harrison Lake accident this weekend, although we have some details there is also many questions that have yet to be answered,” his father posted.
“We thank all of our family and friends that have reached out to offer condolences and support. R.I.P Joshua Desrosiers, we love you.”
- with files from Canadian Press and the Agassiz Observer
READ MORE: Two killed when SUV veers into Harrison Lake
