DD 'busted up pretty bad'

Photo: Randy Millis

A person was killed in a collision with a semi truck in West Kelowna Friday morning.

The owner of a local designated driver service remains in intensive care after his vehicle was hit by a semi truck Friday morning, killing his coworker.

The crash occurred just before 2 a.m. on Highway 97, at the intersection with Bartley Road, between the semi truck and a white Hyundai Tucson. The driver of the SUV, an employee of Gals Designated Driver service, was killed in the crash. Gil, who was in the passenger seat at the time, was seriously injured.

“He's in ICU, he's busted up pretty bad,” said Angie Alcorn, a family friend.

“He's got bleeding in the brain, he's severely concussed, he's got broken legs, broken vertebrae, he's got a cut up hand. He's a hurting old man,” she said, adding Gil is in his late 60s or early 70s.

Alcorn says Gil doesn't remember anything about the crash.

“In fact, he doesn't even know about the fatality yet,” she said.

Gal's Designated Driver service works in pairs, and when they were called to pick someone up, one of the drivers would take the customer's car home for them. Alcorn says Gil and his partner were working Friday morning when the crash occurred.

“He gives back to the community doing his job, making sure people get home safely and this is what happens to the man. It's very sad,” Alcorn said.

Gil's wife is also battling lung cancer.

“His wife is going through chemotherapy right now and she's got a 20 per cent chance of surviving. She's got basically just months left.”

Alcorn has started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for the family as Gil works to recover.

“He's a self-employed individual,” Alcorn said. “Basically he's not going to be working and he's not going to have any income. And his wife, she's sick, so they have no income. None, nada. They need help.”