Grief, questions after Alberta woman killed by rockslide near Golden

A Calgary man is warning others about the dangers of rockslides after his daughter-in-law was killed earlier this month along the Trans Canada Highway near Golden.

Alan Tennant was on speakerphone with his daughter, Lisa Tennant, and her family as they were all travelling from Alberta to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. They were headed to B.C. to celebrate Lisa and Laura’s anniversary.

Alan’s vehicle was about an hour behind his daughter’s and says nothing seemed out of the ordinary as both cars drove through the mountainous area on March 4.

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“We were having a great ol’ chat, the kids were wide awake and excited and calling to us and laughing away. Lisa and Laura were cracking jokes. I can’t even remember what it was but Laura had said something funny a few seconds before and we were all having a laugh and suddenly heard this horrific crash,” Alan said.

A large boulder had fallen on the roof of the jeep. Laura Tennant, his daughter-in-law, was in the passenger seat and was struck by the rock, suffering life-threatening injuries.

Laura, 38, was air-lifted to Kelowna General Hospital where she died from her injuries. Her wife and children, who were also in the vehicle, were not hurt.

He says the family was completely unaware of the dangers.

“If the government had used that sign that talks about delays as if it’s an inconvenience, and instead said ‘traffic is delayed because there’s a fair number of rocks falling on cars through Radium,'” he said, asking if more warnings could be posted in the future.

Community in mourning

The community of Cochrane, northwest of Calgary, lowered the flag at the community homestead in her memory.

One social media post describes Laura as a “loved member of the community but also of the queer Cochrane community. We want to display our love to those who she has left behind and if your in need of space our doors are open to you.”

Rockslides not uncommon in the spring

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation says the rockfall was due to the conditions this time of year.

“March is the most active month for rockfall activity. Historically, rockfall activity in March is two to three times more active due to precipitation and frequent freeze/thaw cycles that occur at this time of year,” the ministry said in an email to CityNews earlier this month.

“Rockfall is common throughout this area based on its topography,” it adds.

There have been several slides in recent weeks in B.C. A commercial truck driver was also killed Feb. 28 north of Lillooet along Highway 40 when a slide came down on his vehicle.

The province says millions of dollars are allocated to reducing rockfall hazards along the highways each year, and work is being done on more than 21,000 slopes, which it prioritizes based on highest risk for hazards.

With files from The Canadian Press