Trucker in fatal crash near Revelstoke, B.C. 'did everything right,' employer says

The trucker killed in a head-on crash near Revelstoke, B.C. Friday has been identified by his employer as an experienced driver with a strong safety record who "did everything right," in the moments leading up to his death.

Reimer Bros. Trucking, based in Armstrong, B.C. says Darren Samoleski, 58, of Vernon was "widely regarded as one of the safest drivers in the fleet," known for his "reliability, professionalism, and quiet leadership."

They say he was the victim of an incident described by police as a head-on crash involving two semi-trucks.

According to police, the crash happened at around 9:20 a.m. on Highway 1 east of the city, with one driver declared dead at the scene and the other taken to hospital in serious condition, as the region was under a snowfall warning.

In a written release, Jacs Spence, general manager of Reimer Bros., says his company has been told by investigators that Samoleski was driving within the speed limit and was in his lane when the crash happened.

"Based on comments provided to the company at the scene, the attending RCMP officer stated that Samoleski did everything right and spoke highly of him as a professional drive," Spence said in the release, while adding the company is not seeking to assign blame while the investigation remains ongoing.

He also shared that Samoleski had nearly 40 years of experience and more than six million kilometres on his record, and earlier this year had been named Driver of the Year by the company based on his safety record, which was "spotless."

"The loss of Samoleski is being felt profoundly by his family, colleagues, and the wider trucking community," he said.

He added that this is the second driver employed by the company to be killed in two years, following the Feb. 2024 death of Mike Beernaerts near Monte Creek, who was hit by a commercial vehicle that crossed the centre line into his lane, and that having two such deaths in succession is "heartbreaking."