A head-on crash Saturday morning on Highway 1 claimed the life of an elderly Hope woman but spared a young Chilliwack family, including a three-month-old baby boy.

Mounties say a 2005 Buick Allure driven by the 82-year-old Hope woman left the Bradner Road rest stop in Abbotsford travelling east in the westbound lanes of Highway 1 around 10:45 a.m. The Allure collided with a 2003 Mazda 3 Hatchback driven by a 29-year-old man. With the man were his 24-year-old wife and the couple's young child.

The crash killed the driver of the Buick. The two adults in the Mazda sustained "non-lifethreatening injuries," according to police. The baby was uninjured.

"This tragic loss of life has impacted a family forever" RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Peter Thiessen said in a press release. "This is a time of year when families come together and celebrate the holidays but unfortunately a family now grieves the loss of a beloved family member. Fortunately there was not a greater loss of life."

tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com