“Simon was family”
The victim of a fatal crash Friday night near Peachland worked at a Summerland mushroom farm, according to his employer
What The Fungus issued a statement on social media claiming Simon-Pierre Houde was the man who died when his car was hit head-on by an oncoming vehicle that left its lane on Drought Hill between Peachland and West Kelowna.
“Simon has been a loyal and valuable team member to What The Fungus for over the past four years,” the statement said.
“Simon was family. We are all so incredibly sad and words cannot express the loss. It is hard to say goodbye to someone so young who had so much potential. Simon was well-liked and will never be forgotten.”
The company didn’t respond to a request for comment Monday.
Houde lived in Kelowna and studied at UBCO, but was originally from Shelburne, N.S., according to his Facebook page.
RCMP said in a press release it appears the crash around 9:45 p.m. “was the result of the driver of a southbound Buick sedan crossing the centre line, colliding head-on with a northbound Mazda car on Drought Hill.
“The collision between the Buick and Mazda subsequently resulted in collisions with two other nearby vehicles.
“The driver of the Mazda was pronounced deceased on scene and the driver of the Buick was transported to Kelowna General Hospital with minor injuries.”
Central Okanagan RCMP Traffic Services has taken over the investigation and is appealing for witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage to call 250-491-5354 and cite file 2020-1975.