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Car in Surrey teens’ deadly crash was speeding 187 km/h — six times the limit, coroner’s report says

Toxicological analysis of the driver showed ‘a moderate to heavy level of alcohol consumption’
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The memorial for Surrey teens Parker Magnuson, Ronin Sharma and Caleb Reimer on a tree where they were killed in a car crash on Aug. 21, 2021, in the 16000-block of 104 Avenue in Fraser Heights. (File photo: Tom Zillich)

Released 15 months after the car crash that killed Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson, three separate BC Coroners Service reports detail how the three Surrey teens lost their lives that summer night.

The hockey-playing friends died in the early-morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, at just before 3 a.m.

They were travelling westbound in a blue Ford Focus RS that sped across two solid yellow lines that divided the two lanes of traffic, and crashed hard into a tree that now stands as a memorial, on a bend in the road in the 16000-block of 104 Avenue.

Days after the crash in Fraser Heights, police said the vehicle was travelling at a speed significantly greater than the posted speed limit — but just how fast was not publicly known, until now.

Driven by Parker Magnuson, the car was going more than six times the posted speed limit of 30 km/h, according to the coroner’s report of his death.

“The onboard computer was analyzed, indicating that the vehicle had accelerated from 20 km/h reaching a recorded speed of 187 km/h seconds before impact,” the report notes.

From left, Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson were killed in a vehicle crash in August 2021. (File photos)
From left, Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma and Parker Magnuson were killed in a vehicle crash in August 2021. (File photos)

Parker, 17, held a valid Class 7N BC Drivers License with no recorded prohibitions from driving or license suspensions, and was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the coroner, Luke Kittson.

But the report says the driver had been drinking. “Toxicological analysis (of Parker) indicated a moderate to heavy level of alcohol consumption.”

Autopsies identified multiple blunt force injuries as causes of all three deaths, say the reports.

“The rate of speed and alcohol consumption on the part of the driver of the vehicle were contributory factors.

• RELATED STORY/PHOTOS: Surrey crash memorial tree stands as haunting reminder of 3 teens killed one year ago.

As with Caleb, 16, and Ronin, also 16, Parker’s death is classified “accidental” by the coroner.

Seated in the back of the car, Ronin was the only person in the vehicle not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the report.

An investigation by the RCMP’s Integrated Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team (ICARS) showed that, due to the force of the accident, the struck tree encroached approximately two metres into the passenger side of the vehicle, displacing a number of panels within the seating compartment.

“A mechanical inspection of the vehicle indicated that it was in good working condition prior to the collision with no evidence of sudden mechanical failure,” Kittson’s report notes.

• RELATED: Surrey crash victim Reimer remembered as Edmonton Oil Kings celebrate WHL championship.

• READ ALSO: Friends play hockey tourney to honour Surrey’s Ronin Sharma, killed in car crash with 2 other teens.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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