Photo: Contributed

Emergency personnel at the scene of a fatal collision on the Okanagan Connector early Sunday morning.

More than a year and a half after a fatal crash on Highway 97C near Peachland, charges have been laid against the driver.

According to court records, James John Romanchuk, 20, was charged with dangerous driving causing death, dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm, and driving with a blood alcohol level over .08. A blood alcohol concentration of 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood is the legal limit for fully licensed drivers in Canada.

Crown counsel Rigel Tessman told the court that Romanchuk was allegedly driving his Volkswagon Golf at an estimated 150 km/hr in a 110 km/hr zone on Aug. 6, 2023 when he lost control near the Trepanier Road off-ramp.

Two of his four passengers were thrown from the vehicle. A West Kelowna teen named Cash Hewitt, 17, was killed, and another teen had his spine broken, the court heard during Romanchuk’s Jan. 14 bail hearing.

The vehicle was believed to have had some known mechanical issues at the time of the crash, and Romanchuk was a novice driver.

His bail conditions have not resulted in a driving limitation, though he is banned from drinking and drug use.

At the time of the crash, police said a westbound green Volkswagen Golf rolled into the oncoming lanes of traffic.