Speed was contributing factor in crash that killed teen hockey players: RCMP

RCMP say speed was a contributing factor in a crash that claimed the lives of three junior hockey players on the weekend.

Parker Magnuson, Ronin Sharma and Caleb Reimer, who were aged between 16 and 17, died early Saturday when the car they were travelling incrashed into a tree in the Fraser Heights neighbourhood of Surrey, B.C.

In a statement Friday morning, Surrey RCMP said the vehicle's speed was "significantly greater" than the posted limit.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is expected to be released, the statement said.

"The entire community has been greatly impacted by the loss of these three young men," saidSgt.Elenore Sturko. "Our thoughts remain with their friends and family during this difficult time."

Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstructive Service and the Surrey RCMP Criminal Collision Investigation Team are co-operating with the B.C. Coroners'Service on the investigation.

The three teens were the only occupants of the vehicle.

It is unconfirmed what type of licence the driver had, or if he had any passenger restrictions. In B.C., new drivers can obtain a one-year "L" license at age 16 and upgrade to an "N" as early as one and half years later, which allows them to only have one passenger under 25.

Sturkosays some information will be protected by privacy regulations.

"It isn't easy for people to receive this type of news from police about speed being the cause of a collision," he said. "But we do hope that people will use this information we're giving them to help come to terms with what happened and to be able to go through their grieving process and to reflect on the consequences the speeding had on the community."

All three were members of the Delta Hockey Academy. Sharma, 16, competed for B.C. in the Junior A Langley Rivermen Hockey Club.

Tributes, memorials and fundraisers poured in following the crash, including condolence statements from the NHL and many WHL regional hockey teams. A GoFundMe set up to support their families has surpassed $60,000 in donations.