Accidents mar
holiday weekend

Terrace resident Orrin Fraser
Smith, 27, died in a single-vehicle
‘accident on Highway 16 near
Chindemash Creek, about 40 kilo-
meters east of Terrace, at 7:51
am. last Sunday. RCMP report
that Smith’s wife, Brenda, and
_ their ‘three: children, aged.one,
three and six years, survived the
‘crash and were taken to Mills
Memorial Hospital with cuts and
lacerations. -

According to RCMP, Ortin Smith

was driving the 1980 Honda .

Accord when it failed to negotiate

-a left-hant-curveiand rolled down
2 W-foot ; :embankment, throwing.

"Smith from the vehicle. An RCMP

“investigation into, the cause of “the”

accident continues.

Kitimat coronor Paul ‘Nisnapiian
attended the accident scen, how-

ever, and says that alcohol was a

contributing, factor in the accident
and Orrin” Smith’s death is the
result, of his failure to use his seat
belt. Monaghan says that the other
four occupants were wearing scat
belts and while Brenda Smith

i apparently had some fractures, all

_ three children” “only had minor
bruises. _

Two Prince Rupert men are listed
in stable condition in Mills Mem-

orial Hospital following another -

single-vehicle accident which
occured 40 kilometers west of
Terrace at about 4:12 p.m. last
Friday. According to RCMP, Peter
Gilbert Colussi,-19, was driving a
1990 Dodge pickup when he los
control on a right hand curve an

crossed the highway into the left-

hand. ditch before turning. back

onto the higthvay where it rolled .
several times. The passenger was.
Mike Christopher Wilkins, also 19.

A third : weekend: motor vehicle

accident occured on Kalum Lake"
Drive near the Terrace dump at

about 4:30: Saturday _aftemoon.

RCMP say that a passenger in the
vehicle; Amber: “Dougan. received:
a ‘broken..leg when’ the: vehicle.
entered a°ditch and overturned.

The driver, Lewis Fernandes, was
charged with driving without due
care and attention.

, There seem to be an unusually
high umber .of motor vehicle

‘ accidents causing death this year,

and Terrace coronor Jim Lynch
Says most involve driver error. In

general, says Lynch, driving over .

the speed limit is a factor along
with the use of alcohol, failure to
use seat belts and driving too fast

Continued on page 2

Local man convicted in
Kalum River drownings

Darryl Bjorgaard, 23, of Terrace has been convicted by a
County Court of judge of criminal negligence in the drowning
deaths of two people that occurred on the Kalum River during

the summer of 1988.

In a session of Prince Rupert County Court held in Terrace
‘May. 18, Judge W.B. Scarth said he found Bjorgaard to be "in a
blameworthy state of mind" when he and friend Dwayne Turner,
who perished in the accident, took two 15-year-old girls on a
"tubing" expedition through the Kalum River rapids on an
August afternoon in 1988. The group was thrown off the Inner
tube in the dangerous waters, and Turner and 15-year-old
Shelley Dilley of Terrace drowned as a result. Bjorgaard and 15-
year-old Jasmin Reed survived the ordeal. .

_ Judge Scarth took 25 minutes to read his decision, detailing the
evidence received by the court. He noted that Bjorgaard was a
lifelong resident of the area and should have been aware of the
hazardousness of the rapids, and determined that the failure to
scout the river and failure to provide safety equipment like life

jackets caused the deaths.

Sentencing in the case is scheduled for June 15 in Terrace.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1990

Vol. 6, Issue No, 21

Phone 635-7840
Fax

635-7269

Lisa Lagace crowned Miss Terrace

by Betty Barton

. Miss Terrace honors run in the

Lagace family. Last Saturday
evening, Miss McDonalds Lisa
Lagace was honored first with
the title of Miss Effective
Speaker and finally, with the
honor of being crowned Miss
Terrace for 1990/91. Her trophy,
crown and banner wer pres-
ented by her proud sister Lyne
Lagace, the out-going Miss
Terrace for 1989/90.

In keeping with the Fantasy

Island theme of the 1990 Miss
Terrace pageant, the Crowning
Night opened with Willy
Schneider as "Mr. Rourke" and
Jim Branch as "Tattoo." In their
best Fantasy Island voices, they
introduced the nine contestants
and their sponsors.

Crowning Night was the
culmination of many months of
hard work for the nine cont-
estants.. They participated in a
community information forum,

- altended workshops in hair care,

public relations, effective

speaking, leadership skills, poise
and modelling, how to say ’no’
without feeling guilty, the
history of ‘Terrace, public
speaking, Superhost, travel,
Stress management and formal
dining etiquette.

The girls had interviews with
the panel of judges (Doug
Inglis, Marj Twyford, Carolyn
Benson, Chris Chicoiae and
Scott Sitter), fashion shows,
speak-offs, and attendance at
various public functions.

Continued on page 24

Tee.

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