TRU students among victims in Kamloops crash, school confirms

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has confirmed three of its students were involved in a crash outside the school’s Kamloops campus Wednesday afternoon, which left one of them dead and the two others critically hurt.

“It is hard to find words that express how we feel in these moments, in the face of such inexplicable tragedy. Our most sincere thoughts are with their families and loved ones, and on behalf of TRU, I offer our deepest condolences,” TRU President and Vice Chancellor Brett Fairbairn said in a statement Thursday.

“We grieve with them, along with others, including their friends, classmates, and professors. This is a loss for the TRU community that will be felt for a long time.”

The school has not publicly identified the students out of respect for their families, though it notes they were members of the WolfPack men’s volleyball team.

“Our hearts are broken with the tragic news of yesterday’s motor vehicle accident involving members of our WolfPack family. We ask that the privacy of those involved and their families be respected. Now is the time when we must come together and support one another,” the TRU WolfPack said in a social media post.

The RCMP says emergency crews were called to the area of McGill Road and University Drive around 3 p.m. for reports that a “Dodge Ram truck had collided with several small trees before striking a Volkswagen that was stopped at a red light.”

That resulted in “secondary crashes” with four other cars, Mounties add.

According to the RCMP, the three people inside the Volkswagen were taken to the hospital, though one succumbed to their injuries. Two people in a Jeep were also taken to the hospital with what the RCMP describes as non-life-threatening injuries.

The cause of the initial crash is not yet clear.

TRU is encouraging students to take care of themselves and each other, and to reach out for support if needed.