RCMP Looking For Banff Witnesses After Fatal Highway 93 Crash

BC Highway Patrol is asking Banff residents and businesses for help piecing together the hours before a fatal crash in Kootenay National Park.

A 23-year-old Invermere man died after a black Nissan Maxima left Highway 93 and travelled down an embankment on Oct. 2.

The woman driving the vehicle survived and was not seriously injured.

Investigators are now looking for anyone who may have seen the pair or the black Nissan Maxima in Banff earlier that evening, including at restaurants, bars or liquor establishments.

Sgt. Brett Reiben with BC Highway Patrol in Cranbrook told Bow Valley Insider that police are particularly interested in the period from around dinner time until approximately 10 p.m.

“If anyone in the Banff area that might have seen two occupants associated to a black Nissan Maxima, might know the individuals, [we're looking for them] to provide some insight to us as to their contact or dealings with them on that evening,” Reiben said.

What happened?

Columbia Valley RCMP received a report of a single-vehicle crash at approximately 11:10 p.m. on Oct. 2.

The Nissan was found on its side off Highway 93, just north of the Floe Lake trailhead in Kootenay National Park.

The 23-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The female driver was not seriously injured.

Police say they are still investigating what led to the crash.

“Police are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision and have not ruled out any factors that may have contributed to it,” Sgt. Michael McLaughlin said in a BC Highway Patrol release.

Investigators are also interested in what happened on Highway 93 between approximately 9:30 p.m. and midnight.

That includes anyone who witnessed the crash, stopped at the scene, has dashcam footage or saw how the black Nissan was being driven before the collision.

Why police are looking to Banff

Police believe information from people in Banff could help them reconstruct what happened in the hours before the crash.

They're asking anyone who encountered the man and woman or saw the Nissan at a restaurant, bar or liquor establishment around dinnertime to come forward.

Police are also specifically asking to hear from anyone who knows the driver and observed her behaviour in the hours before the crash.

Reiben said people shouldn't dismiss something they saw because it seems insignificant.

“If they did believe they had contact with people that were involved, it may seem like it's inconsequential or it's a small detail, but we always encourage people to call us, pass on the information,” Sgt. Reiben told Bow Valley Insider.

Sometimes, he said, one small observation can be combined with information from another witness to help investigators form a larger picture.

Anyone with information, video or relevant observations is asked to contact BC Highway Patrol Cranbrook at 250-420-4244 and reference file (2100) 2026-2873.