The victim of a Saturday night (Nov. 12) car crash in Langley has been identified as Dylan Reichelt, the 18-year-old son of BC Lions head trainer Bill Reichelt.
A brief statement was issued by the club:
"The B.C. Lions Football Club is mourning the loss of Dylan Reichelt, son of team athletic therapist Bill Reichelt, who passed away from injuries sustained in an automobile accident Saturday evening," said spokesperson Jamie Cartmell.
"The Reichelt family thanks those who are supporting them during this difficult period and ask that their privacy be respected at this time."
Dylan is survived by his parents, Bill and Cathy, his sister Keira and twin brother Jesse.
The Brookswood Secondary High School student was an avid athlete who competed along with his brother in a number of sports including hockey, baseball, soccer, and rowing.
But golf was his primary passion.
He hoped to play for a college team.
In an online posting last year, he talked about planning to compete in both the Canadian Maple Leaf Junior tour and the Canadian B.C.G.A. Junior tour as well as high school team competitions.
The B.C. Lions website describes his father Bill Reichelt (pictured below) as "one of the most experienced trainers in professional sports."
Bill Reichelt has 35 seasons as the Lions' head trainer, responsible for coordinating the medical staff and for the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of players’ injuries.He left Edmonton in 1977 to join the Lions, after working for both the Eskimos and the WHA’s Alberta Oilers.
He has served as a trainer with the Canadian Davis Cup Tennis Team and has also worked with the Vancouver Canucks.
The family lived in Langley.
The teenaged Reichelt was reportedly a passenger in a BMW that went off the road in the 19800 block of 36 Ave. around 9:30 p.m. Saturday during a heavy downpour.
Langley RCMP said the BMW and a Mazda were both heading eastbound on 36 at the time.
Each vehicle had two occupants, all were from Langley, all were known to each other, and all were 18, police said.
Both cars lost control.
The Mazda went off the road to the left crashed into a hedge.
Both occupants were uninjured.
The BMW went off the road to the right, hit a tree, flipped and came to rest against a second tree.
The driver sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital for treatment, police said.
The passenger died at the scene.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the collision, but poor weather conditions and speed may have contributed, police said.
Charges are expected, possibly against both drivers, RCMP said.
Police are asking anyone with information about the fatal collision who has not yet spoken to police to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.