Two drivers from B.C. are facing multiple charges after a motor vehicle collision with a herd of Big Horn Sheep on Highway 3 near Keremeos in October.
A 75-year-old male and a 56-year-old male are facing charges under the Motor Vehicle Act of failing to report the accidental killing of wildlife on a highway, failure to remain at the scene of an accident and driving without consideration of others.
Around 4 p.m. Oct. 1 South Okanagan Traffic Services received reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles and a herd of 12 Big Horn Sheep crossing Highway 3 in an area east of Standing Rock. Westbound vehicles were stopped for the crossing herd, and an eastbound Ford F250 pick-up truck driven by the 56-year-old man as well as a Dodge Ram pick-up operated by the 75-year-old man both failed to stop for the crossing herd, killing five sheep and injuring two other animals.
RCMP reported that some of the sheep were thrown from the impact into the stopped westbound vehicles damaging them. Neither of the eastbound drivers stopped at the scene.
A joint investigation by the RCMP South Okanagan Traffic Services and the BC Conservation Officer Service resulted in both vehicles being located and the drivers identified.
“This tragic collision is a grim reminder that as driver4s we need to do our part in safe guarding the wildlife in our communities. When you see highway signs advising you of wildlife being in the area, please heed to the warnings and drive with caution,” said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk in a press release.