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Long wait for answers in death of Hedley teen

Investigation will take many more months to complete
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Mary Allison, 19, a member of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, died in a vehicle accident last summer. (File photo)

The family of a Hedley teenager who died in a vehicle crash last summer may have to wait up to eight more months before receiving any answers.

Mary Allison, 19, was a member of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and the youngest of four children.

In a December interview, James Ward, media relations officer for BC Highway Patrol, said the investigation is active and continuing. Ward said in cases like this it can take up to a year for all the necessary reports to be completed.

Following Allison’s death, BC Highway Patrol issued a release stating impaired driving was a suspected cause in the fatality.

The crash occurred at about 2:45 a.m., Aug. 5, 2022, near Bromley Rock east of Princeton.

According to an RCMP news release, “it was determined that a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with two occupants left the highway, went down an embankment and entered the Similkameen River, where it partially submerged.”

A second occupant of the vehicle, a 38-year-old man, was not injured.

“Where criminality is suspected as a causal factor in a fatal collision, BC Highway Patrol’s Criminal Collision Investigation Team is activated to assist investigators due, in part, to the complexity of these lengthy and technical investigations,” the release stated.

In August, Mary’s mother Christine spoke with the Spotlight, describing her daughter as a kind girl who was always bringing home stray cats and who enjoyed drawing.

“She had such a big heart and she just trusted everybody,” said Christine.

“She always found the good in people and she helped out wherever she could.

“If her friends needed food she wouldn’t hesitate to come home and grab food out of the fridge and freezer and go give it to them.

“She was so amazing for her little, young years.”

Related: Hedley teen killed in Highway 3 crash remembered for charity and kindness

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Andrea DeMeer

About the Author: Andrea DeMeer

Andrea is the publisher of the Similkameen Spotlight.
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