A day of four-by-four adventure turned tragic June 5 when a 23-year-old Sechelt man died in an accident on the Gray Creek logging road near Tuwanek.
Charles Lewis "Chuck" Hedden was driving a four-wheel-drive Samurai with his cousin Tamara as a passenger when the accident happened around 7 p.m. The vehicle rolled over, ejecting the two cousins, who were not wearing seat belts.
The pair were pinned under the Samurai. Two other cousins, who were in a second vehicle following Hedden, came to their aid and were able to lift the Samurai off. Hedden was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Hospital while his cousin suffered minor injuries.
Trevor Hedden, Chuck's father, said his son always loved sports and the outdoors. In high school he was goaltender for his hockey team.
Later he went to trade school and studied carpentry, then went to work for his father as a truck driver and mechanic. He was enormously proud of his newly born nephew Joshua and couldn't wait until the boy was old enough to come with him on fishing trips.
"He had a big heart and wouldn't hurt a flea," said his father. "He was a meticulous worker, very smart at his job. And he had a grin you couldn't wipe off. It was very infectious."
