Two men dead, six others injured after semi truck hits a group of motorcyclists

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A motorcycle charity ride turned tragic Saturday morning when a semi-truck crossed the centre line near Faust and collided with a group of motorcyclists, killing two men and injuring six others.

The victims are identified as 38-year-old Laurent Isadore from Driftpile First Nation and 33-year-old Tyler Duboski of Edmonton, who were part of the Redrum Motorcycle Club.

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“We were supposed to get married on Sept. 21,” said Isadore’s fiancée, Brenda Powder, in an interview Sunday afternoon. “This isn’t how our love story was supposed to end.”

The couple had been together for eight years, Powder said, and shared every moment they could together living a life filled with love and amazing memories.

“When we first met each other, it was instant love. I knew he was my forever person. He made me believe that fairy tales come true. He was my sunshine.”

The collision occurred at roughly 11:42 a.m. on Highway 2 near Range Road 143 near the hamlet of Faust, police said in a news release.

Postmedia confirmed with RCMP that four other men who were injured in the crash are from Edmonton, while one other man is from Grande Prairie and another from Kinuso, a hamlet near Lesser Slave Lake. 

‘I saw the semi run over all the bikes’

The group was on a charity ride to raise money for the homeless. Powder said she was following behind the group in a vehicle when the crash happened and suffered injuries. Powder said she saw a white car in front of the bikers swerve hard into the ditch, and then suddenly the semi-truck was going straight toward the bikers and her.

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“I saw the semi run over all the bikes, and as he was coming my way, I could hear this voice saying ‘You’re going to survive this’, and I swerved towards the ditch. I felt the vehicle rolling and rolling after impact,” said Powder.

After climbing out of the wreckage, Powder said she walked towards the ditch and discovered her fiancée lying on the ground.

“I didn’t want to touch him, because I didn’t want to hurt him more, and he took one last breath, and it was like he was saying, ‘It’s OK, you can go now,’” said Powder.

Moments later she said she saw the semi-truck driver, who she described as being “shook up.” He just kept telling her “how sorry he was” and that he “lost control of the semi.”

“The lives of two amazing people are now gone, and he’s ruined so many people’s lives,” said Powder.

Powder said she and Isadore loved riding together and had many adventures together. He even had a little tradition with her every time they rode together.

“He’d tap my leg, and that was his way of asking me if I was OK. Then, he’d put his arm up in the air and make a half-heart, and then I’d wrap my arm around his and put my hand up beside his to complete it,” said Powder.

‘Kissed me and said he loved me’

The original plan was for her to ride on the back of the bike with him for the charity ride but at the last minute Isadore changed the plan and told her to follow the group in their car.

“I grabbed my helmet he said, ‘No, you take the car, and when we get to High Prairie, you can ride for me,’” said Powder. “He walked me to the car and opened the door for me like he always does, and then opened it again and he kissed me, and said he loved me.”

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Isadore’s reputation was big and positive in his family but also in the club and the community.

Jessica Desmoulin rides with Redrum’s sister club, the RedSpirit Women’s Motorcycle Riding Club, and remembers Isadore warmly.

“We lost the spiritual leader, is what we lost, and that’s a really big deal in the community where he had such an impact on everyone, on all of us,” said Desmoulin.

Desmoulin shared similar sentiments about Duboski, who the group lovingly called “Killswitch” — a road name that was given to him by another chapter’s president. Desmoulin said he was initially not a fan of the name but grew to recognize it as an honour that he embraced.

By the time he introduced himself to Desmoulin and the group, he referred to himself first as Killswitch, and second as Tyler Duboski.

Just three days before the incident, Duboski posted an optimistic Facebook post about the life he was living and the one he wanted to live.

“Difference between who I am now compared to before is I’m not trying to prove anything, I just want to be happy and consistently growing to be a better version of myself,” said Duboski in the post.

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“Waking up and loving where I’m at, who I’m with, how I feel, is my ultimate goal. Nothing materialistic can amount to that,” he continued.

While Duboski set his sights on a better version of himself, Desmoulin said he had the same effect on others around him.

“He was so kind and humble and sweet, and he made all of us better. They both made all of us better. It is hard to talk about them,” she said.

The club and family members of the riders are spending time together as they mourn and process the loss of their friends and family.

“We’re trying to cope as best we can with our traditional medicine and family and togetherness and we’re all here supporting each other,” said Desmoulin.

Another man, Solo, who was also involved in the crash, had initially been airlifted to a hospital and Desmoulin said that he was released Saturday night and is recovering with family and friends.

‘Risks on our highways are constant’: RCMP

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, but early indications are that alcohol wasn’t a factor, police said.

“This is very early in the investigation. We have eliminated alcohol impairment as a factor, but there are many steps needed to be taken before we can determine if charges will be laid,” said Alberta RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.

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“The risks on our highways are constant. This is a very tragic incident, and it shows things can happen in an instant.”

Faust is located 310 km northwest of Edmonton.

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