‘Combination of speed and alcohol’: BC man, 34, charged in fatal Canada Day crash

Just under 17 months after a devastating crash that claimed one life and injured another, half a dozen charges have been laid against the man suspected to be responsible.

According to the RCMP, 34-year-old Huston Robert Seymour of Cranbrook is facing six charges related to the dangerous operation of his vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

The fatal crash happened in the final hour of Canada Day 2023 along Hwy 3/93 near Mayook, east of Cranbrook.

BC Highway Patrol investigators say that Seymour was driving alone in an eastbound pickup truck when he crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a westbound SUV head-on.

The driver of the SUV, a 42-year-old man from Calgary, was killed, while his wife suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

“It is hard to imagine a sadder scenario than losing a loved one beside you in a vehicle,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.

Both vehicles were totalled in the crash, police say, and Seymour’s pickup truck was destroyed in the ensuing fire.

“Evidence gathered by BC Highway Patrol supports the theory that a combination of speed and alcohol was the primary cause of this catastrophic crash,” McLaughlin noted.

Seymour is expected to make his first court appearance in Cranbrook on Dec. 2.

Here’s a detailed list of the charges he’s facing:

• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, section 320.13(2) of the Criminal Code (CC);
• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, section 320.13(3) CC;
• Operating a motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of more that 80 mg/100 mL causing bodily harm, section 320.14(2) CC;
• Operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of more that 80 mg/100 mL causing death, section 320.14(3) CC;
• Operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs causing bodily harm, section 320.14(2);
• Operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs causing death, section 320.14(3).