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Tragic Squamish summer on Highway 99 continues

Locals mourn young ‘thoughtful and loving, humble and gracious' man’s death in an Aug. 26 crash
BMX photos of Tristan Lindsay
Many locals are mourning the loss of Tristan Lindsay, 20, including members of the Squamish BMX Racing Club. He was one of the first members of the club.

It has been a brutal summer on the Sea to Sky Highway with the death of three young men.

Most recently, Tristan Lindsay, 20, died in a crash on Aug. 26 on Highway 99 near Shannon Falls, according to various Squamish sources.

RCMP say two occupants of the other vehicle involved were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Those who knew him remember Lindsay as charming, sweet, funny, and caring.

“I want to send so much love out to Greg Lindsay and Sarah Lindsay, as well as Virginia Dawson and Chris Scarborough, all of whom are the parents of Tristan Lindsay,” said Tristan’s aunt, Brandy Willmot, in a message to The Chief.

“The absolute devastation that Tristan’s death has caused these beautiful people is beyond measure... It is so difficult to find the words to describe such a beautiful soul, whose life was cut so short.

Willmot described her nephew as “very thoughtful and loving, humble and gracious.”

“His kindness shone through in his smile. He loved family gatherings and was the first to give you a hug when he walked in the door."

Willmot said Tristan loved spending time with his dad, Greg, working on trucks among other things.

He was ambitious and hard-working, Willmot said, noting he went to school for heavy-duty mechanics and had a bright future ahead of him.

“He loved his friends, always ready to lend a hand and be supportive. Tristan was close with his sister Ayla and his little brothers Talen and Abel. All of  [whom] thought the world of their big brother. Tristan had overcome big obstacles in his short but beautiful life. He had drive and determination and a true zest for life, always optimistic. His smile and jokes and easy-going nature will be missed at the family table, but our love for him will always remain strong in our hearts and in all of those that loved him.”

A celebration of his life is to be announced, she said, adding that the care the community has shown has been comforting. 

Local Allie Humphrey set up a meal train, for example. 

“Just a huge shout out to our amazing community that always shows up for people in need,” she said. 

Squamish BMX Racing Club members were also mourning the loss of an alumni.

“Tristan was one of the first members of Squamish BMX, he started racing back in 2007. He was charming, sweet, funny, caring and everything a young BMX racer should be. Tristan continued to race for a number of years and became a member of the Diablos Racing Team, where he travelled to races across the province with his mom, Virginia or his dad, Greg. Tristan will forever live in our hearts. We feel so privileged to have such a special person be a part of our club,” wrote the club on their Facebook page, reprinted with permission of the club.

Other deaths this summer on the Squamish stretch of Highway 99 include 17-year-old local Alex Reyes on June 28, Maple Ridge’s Matheus Fredrich, 24, on Aug. 9.

Community’s loss

“Along with many members of our community, the District of Squamish is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of one of our local young adults. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones who are grieving this tragic loss,” said Acting Mayor French in an emailed statement to The Chief.

 “The District has long advocated with the Province for highway safety throughout our community and the region, as Highway 99 falls under provincial jurisdiction and is governed by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI). District staff will be meeting with MOTI this fall to further discuss this complex and urgent issue.” 

Highway 99 safety

“My heart goes out to people who are impacted by these tragedies,” said MLA Jordan Sturdy. “I have daughters driving up and down the highway, too, and my wife and staff. If I worry about anything with my kids, it is driving.”

Sturdy was not privy to any of the details of this crash and spoke to The Chief in generalities about Sea to Sky Highway safety.

“You can drive defensively, and people should obviously make their best effort to be as responsible as you can...It worries me...Driving is hazardous.”

Sturdy said that while every life lost is one too many, studies suggest the Sea to Sky is not statistically more dangerous than other stretches of highway in the province.

And some changes have been implemented to improve safety.

In 2018, the speed limits were reduced on all three sections of the highway — from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish (90 km/h to 80 km/h) Squamish to Whistler (100 km/h to 90 km/h) and Whistler to Pemberton (90 km/h to 80 km/h).

For the stretch from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish, the five top crash factors were: driver inattentiveness, exceeding speed limit, driving too fast for conditions, and road conditions (ice, snow, slush), according to the 2018 Ministry of Transportation report Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review: Three-Year Post-Implementation.

From Squamish to Whistler, the top factors were exceeding the speed limit, driving too fast for conditions, road conditions (ice, snow, slush) and the driver being inattentive.

While there are times when there are more deaths than others, like this summer in Squamish, the report found that over a three-year average, the crash rate wasn’t “statistically significant,” meaning from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler highway isn’t particularly more dangerous than other stretches of highway.

According to the BC Coroners Service, approximately one-third of all motor vehicle deaths — 34% — between 2008 to 2018 occurred in the Interior.

Vancouver Coastal Health, which includes the region of the Sea to Sky Highway, accounted for 10% of deaths.

According to the Ministry report, the average vehicle traffic on the stretch from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish per day is 15,900 vehicles.

From Squamish to Whistler, 11,200 vehicles travel daily.

“With the volume of traffic, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to provide some alternatives to the individual car,” Sturdy said, noting with regional transit in place, there would be fewer vehicles on the road and likely fewer crashes.

Sturdy noted there are also always further road improvements that can be implemented to make the highway safer.

“Certainly barriers are ones that are frequently called for and can make a big difference,” he said. “I think we have seen that in Lions Bay where we removed the vegetative barrier and installed a concrete barrier,” he added, noting the fatal crashes have gone down in that stretch.

However, given the geometry of the highway, not all portions can have barriers, he said.

“Part of the problem is that when you put in a median, you are required to put in what they call a ‘shy distance,’ on either side of the median, so you end up not just taking the width of the barrier, which tends to be almost a metre on either side. So, you take up a big chunk of the roadway and what happens then is you lose shoulders. That can cause challenges as well.”

With the windy bits of the highway, such as the section from Lions Bay to Porteau Cove, it is really challenging to get barriers in, he added.

There’s also a limited provincial budget for barriers based on vehicle kilometres driven on any stretch.

Uniform traffic flow — when everybody is moving generally at the same speed — is the safest set of circumstances, Sturdy said.

He said speed limits should be set at the 85th percentile, which is the speed at which studies show prudent drivers choose to travel on any given road.

The lack of uniformity in speeds — the differential — is where a lot of problems occur, including traffic jams and crashes, he said.

According to the BC Coroners Service, on average, 326 people died per year in motor vehicle crashes in B.C. between 2008 and 2018.

Of those who died, 61% were drivers or passengers in personal vehicles; 18% were pedestrians and 11% were motorcyclists.

Approximately 70% were male.

Between 2008 and 2018, the months with the highest average annual number of deaths per month were July and August.

 

**Please note, this story has been corrected since it was first posted to say that Tristan was 20-years-old.

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