Family killed in Sea to Sky Highway crash identified online

The young family involved in a tragic collision on the Sea to Sky Highway in British Columbia shortly after midnight Sunday have been identified in an online fundraiser set up to support the sole survivor of the crash.

A GoFundMe page created Sunday night identifies the victims as Josafat Portillo, 22, his brother-in-law James Paguia and his two-year-old daughter Natalia.

Josafat's wife and Natalia's mother, Iris Paguia Portillo, was the fourth occupant of the vehicle and, according to police, she is currently in hospital in stable condition.

As of Monday evening, the fundraiser to cover funeral expenses had already raised more than $30,000.

According to the fundraiser, the family was returning home from a church gathering when the accident happened.

The single-vehicle collision happened around 12:30 a.m. near the Daisy Lake Dam, south of Whistler, police said.

Police said the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service conducted a full investigation, adding that the crash did not appear to be criminal in nature “in any way.”

“This is an absolute tragedy and our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the families, friends and loved ones of those involved who will be affected by this loss,” said Inspector Robert Dykstra, Officer in Charge of the Sea to Sky RCMP, in a news release issued Sunday.