Father of 3 killed in fiery collision near Clearwater, B.C.

Friends and coworkers have identified one of the victims in a fatal head-on collision that happened near Clearwater, in the B.C. Interior this week.

On April 23, at 12:50 a.m., a semi-truck and CN Rail truck collided along Highway 5, becoming engulfed in flames after a fuel tank exploded, RCMP say.

There were two people in each truck, and two of them — the passenger of the semi-truck and the driver of the CN Rail truck — both died. The other two are in critical, but stable, condition, according police.

Police say the crash sparked a small wildfire that has since been contained.

The driver of the CN Rail Truck has been identified by his union as 33-year-old Juver Balmores, a husband and father to three children, all younger than 10.

Cole Kramer is national president of the United Steelworkers 2004, the union that represented Balmores, and says both CN and the union have sent support teams to help his family.

"Obviously everybody is taking this quite hard," he said. "His coworkers, management ... all had good things to say about him."

Calls for improved safety

Local leaders along Highway 5 have been calling for improved safety measures following a series of fatal crashes that killed at least 15 people in 2023.

In March, the province announced a series of improvements between Kamloops and Clearwater, about 125 kilometres to the north.

They include a new pullout dedicated to commercial vehicle inspections, as well as new cameras that will calculate vehicle speeds.

Melissa Jongema, media relations officer with the B.C. Highway Patrol, said while it is too early to comment on the cause of the collision, she is reminding drivers to stay alert when on the road, particularly at dawn and dusk.

Any witnesses to the crash are asked to contact investigators at 250-828-3111 ext. 2 and refer to file 2024-1279.