The coroners service has taken over the investigation of a fatal snowmobile accident near Enderby Sunday morning.
The RCMP dispatch centre received a call shortly after 10:30 a.m. of a serious snowmobile accident at the popular Hunters Range sledding area northeast of Enderby.
Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP officers activated Vernon Search and Rescue as the area was only accessible by snowmobile.
“A teenaged boy from Salmon Arm was out with a group of people, one of them being his father,” said RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk.
“He became separated from the group for a short time, and when his father attempted to contact him on a radio, the boy did not respond.”
Rescue officials found Brandon Ouellette, 16, who is believed to have hit a snowbank and his machine flipped on top of him. He was trapped underneath the machine in the snow.
Search and rescue deployed its helicopter with a doctor on board, as well as paramedics.
Ouellette was pronounced dead by the doctor while in-flight to Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
The Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP detachment will continue to assist the coroners service in this investigation.