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Two dead after boat hits Tagish River bridge

Carcross RCMP received a report of the crash just after midnight on Sunday.
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Two people are dead after a boat collided with the Tagish River bridge over the weekend, with “visibility, conditions and impairment” believed to be factors in the crash.

In a press release July 28, Yukon RCMP said that the Carcross detachment received a report of a “boating incident” just after midnight on July 28 from “a man on board a boat at an unknown location” near Carcross.

Police conducted water and air patrols and spotted the boat near the Tagish River bridge.

Police found a 50-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman dead on-scene, as well as an injured 28-year-old man — the same man who had phoned police earlier.

He was taken to Whitehorse General Hospital by helicopter for treatment.

Yukon’s Chief Coroner Heather Jones has identified the deceased as 50 year-old Martin Claude Pelletier, who had been living in Tagish for the past few months, and 26 year-old Candace Shantel Gordon of Whitehorse. Pelletier had been driving the boat at the time of the incident, Jones said.

“Investigators have determined that the boat hit the Tagish River Bridge. The boat sustained significant damage and was seized by Carcross RCMP for the purpose of the police investigation,” the RCMP press release says.

“The cause of the collision has not yet been determined, however visibility, conditions and impairment are believed to have been factors in this incident.”

Police say the investigation is ongoing.

Contact Jackie Hong at jackie.hong@yukon-news.com