The family and friends of a young Abbotsford father of two are mourning after he was killed in a car crash early Sunday morning.

Brian Patchett was a passenger in the back seat of a 1997 Chevy Malibu headed west on Vye Road just past Sumas Way prior to 2:41 a.m. when it struck a cement barrier and then collided with a hydro pole before coming to rest on its roof, said Const. Ian MacDonald.

Emergency responders pronounced Patchett, 22, dead on scene.

A woman, originally thought to have been flung from the car, crawled out of the mangled vehicle and was later transported to hospital in critical condition.

The male driver and another female passenger were removed from the front seat and treated for minor injuries.

All the occupants of the car were in their early 20s.

Patchett leaves behind a son and daughter both under the age of five.

Friends are remembering the young dad as an optimist with an easy smile and great sense of humour on his Facebook page.

"Just last week we were planning play dates and dancing," wrote Amanda Rae Poitras.

"You will be missed by me, friends, family, and everyone who has met you. Definitely one of a kind, loving friend, and a wonderful father."

Alcohol and speed are both being considered as contributing factors in the crash, which was likely preventable, said MacDonald.

"Any time there's a loss of life it's a tragedy," he said.

"But in this case it's a double tragedy. Had that contingent of people taken a cab or elected to go with a sober driver, this potentially could have been averted."

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Vye Road between Sumas Way and Riverside Road was closed until midday on Sunday while APD collision reconstruction analysts investigated and so fire crews could clear the wreckage.

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com

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