A 56-year-old Sunshine Coast man has died following a two-vehicle collision on Hwy. 101 Monday night.
On April 4, shortly after 8 p.m., Sunshine Coast RCMP were called to the 1400 block of Hwy. 101.
According to Const. Kurt Rosenberg, the collision occurred in the southbound lane when a 1980 Pontiac Grand Prix travelling north crossed into the southbound lane hitting a 1986 Jeep Cherokee travelling south.
"Emergency crews spent over an hour extracting the driver of the Cherokee, who was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries," Rosenberg said. "The driver of the Grand Prix, a 33-year-old local man, was airlifted to Vancouver with serious but unknown injuries."
The victim is Michael Wheelihan of Gibsons.
Rosenberg said police are still investigating the accident with the assistance of area vehicle inspectors and a traffic collision analysis. Police also conducted a seat belt examination on both vehicles, as seat belt use was questioned.
"We did confirm that neither driver was buckled in," Rosenberg said on Wednesday afternoon. "In the past 18 months, a lack of seat belt use has been a contributing factor in the last four fatal crashes on the Sunshine Coast. April 8 to 18 is a provincial seat belt campaign and police will be stepping up seat belt enforcement for drivers, passengers and children. The fines for seat belt violations are being raised this month from the current $109 to $138. What's holding you back?"
