Man dead after trying to help with aftermath of semi crash west of Williams Lake, B.C.

Lights on a police cruiser are pictured in this file photo.

A 49-year-old man is dead after a collision involving two semi trucks in B.C.’s Cariboo region earlier this week, though police say he was not a driver or a passenger in either vehicle.

The crash happened shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 20, about 25 kilometres west of Williams Lake, according to a statement from the city’s RCMP detachment.

Police said the deceased was a man who “had stopped at the scene to assist following the initial collision.”

“While assisting with efforts to extricate a trapped driver from one of the commercial vehicles, the second commercial vehicle became dislodged and struck the man, resulting in fatal injuries,” the release reads.

The crash closed Highway 20 for several hours as police conducted their initial investigation.

Williams Lake RCMP said the investigation is still ongoing, in partnership with the B.C. Coroners Service.

The detachment is asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-cam video from the area to call it at 250-392-6211 and reference file number 2026-2467.