Sask. Roughrider in fatal crash was driving on wrong side of highway: RCMP

Sask. Roughrider in fatal crash was driving on wrong side of divided highway: RCMP

Jayden Dalke, 30, and Bhishma Rajyaguru, 22, both killed in crash near Lumsden, Sask.

Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Jayden Dalke was driving the wrong way on the highway with alcohol and cannabis in his vehicle before the crash that killed him and another driver, RCMP say.

Saskatchewan RCMP sent a news release Monday morning saying officers responded to a crash Saturday night at 9 p.m. CST.

RCMP say investigation found Dalke had been driving a silver SUV northbound in the southbound lane on Highway 11 between Regina and Lumsden. The entire stretch of Highway 11 between Regina and Lumsden is divided, with two lanes in each direction.

Dalke's SUV collided with a black SUV. Both drivers died in the crash and both were the only ones in their vehicles.

Bhishma Rajyaguru, 22, of Regina was identified as the driver of the other vehicle.

The families of Rajyaguru and Dalke, 30, who was from Leduc, Alta., have both been notified.

Rajyaguru​'s friends have started an online fundraiser in the wake of his death.

"His parents in India are currently facing the nightmare that no parent should ever have to endure: the loss of their chil​d," the page for the campaign says.

​"We, his friends here in Canada, are coming together to ensure that Bhishma is transported back home so his family can hold him one last time and lay him to rest​."

The fundraiser organizers described Rajyaguru as a "beautiful soul, a best friend, and a beacon of light," and called the crash as "a senseless tragedy that has shattered the hearts of everyone who knew him.​"

RCMP say cannabis and alcohol were found in Dalke's vehicle, and that autopsies and toxicology reports will be conducted.

The Riders drafted Dalke in the sixth round of the CFL draft in 2022. Information on the Roughriders website says Dalke was returning to Regina after spending the team's bye week in Leduc.

Roughriders general manager Jeremy O'Day spoke to media about Dalke on Monday morning, before RCMP had released details of the crash.

"In football he was tough and reliable, accountable. Never wanted to let anyone down. He was someone that always wanted to do good for his teammates."

O'Day offered condolences on behalf of the CFL.

"To Jayden's family, his friends, anyone that that has come in touch with Jayden. You know, we're deeply saddened by this tragic event," said O'Day.

The Lumsden RCMP detachment is investigating the crash with the help of an RCMP collision reconstructionist.

The RCMP scheduled a news conference for 12:30 p.m CST Monday at its headquarters on Dewdney Avenue in Regina.

Phil Tank is an award-winning journalist based in Saskatoon. He can be reached at phil.tank@cbc.ca.