The woman killed when a small plane making an emergency landing caused a series of crashes on a busy Prince George, B.C., road has been identified in social media posts and a fundraiser set up to support her family.
According to a page on the online fundraising platform GoFundMe, Alex Garneau leaves behind a husband and two children.
“Alex was the friend who always had your back, the person you knew would show up when you needed her the most,” fundraising organizers wrote on the page. “She had a way of making people feel like they belonged all while having so much fun.”
The fundraiser had brought in more than $100,000 by 12 p.m. on Monday.
Prince George Minor Lacrosse also identified Garneau in a post on its Facebook page sharing the GoFundMe link.
“On Thursday, Aug. 20, our lacrosse community lost one of our own, Alex Garneau, in the tragic incident involving an emergency aircraft landing on a roadway in Prince George,” the organization wrote.
“Thank you so much for considering helping us surround this family with the same love, kindness, and community that Alex gave so freely to others.”
A Beech King Air 200 bound for Prince George, flying from a remote northern airstrip, had six passengers and two crew members on board when it made an emergency landing on Foothills Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Transportation Safety Board, preliminary investigation reveals the plane appears to have lost power in one of its engines.
Nobody onboard was injured when the plane touched down on the roadway, but it struck several passenger vehicles, and the driver of one of those vehicles died in the crash.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said paramedics assessed ten additional patients at the scene, and two people were transported to hospital in stable condition.
In a Facebook post, the Cariboo Cougars, a minor hockey organization, also shared the GoFundMe link and identified Garneau as a parent of children involved in the sport.
“The news of her passing has left our hockey family absolutely devastated. It is difficult to comprehend that someone who brought so much joy and positivity to so many people is no longer going to be there beside us in the stands,” the Cougars’ Facebook post said.