Two young men died in a horrifying crash in Alberta's backcountry on the weekend and the driver of the vehicle is recovering in hospital after trying to save his friends.

Nathan Wack, Jordan Fish and Logan Toews were camping in the Ghost Lake area west of Cochrane on the weekend and decided to go for a drive at about midnight on Saturday.

The driver lost control of the truck on Township Road 265B, about 4 kilometres from Highway 40. The vehicle crashed down a ravine and then over a cliff before coming to rest in the creek bed below.

“The driver knew he was coming up to the lookout point and then his vehicle wouldn’t stop,” said RCMP Constable Caleb Davisson. “The driver was wearing a seatbelt and he survived but the other two were riding in the box of the truck and they did not survive the collision.”

Toews was behind the wheel and was able to free himself and go for help.

“The driver actually got out of the truck, he checked on his friends, he even said that he tried doing CPR on one of them and then he crawled all the way back up the hill, down quite a few hundred metres towards where their campsite was and then drove off in a truck,” said Davisson.

A passing motorist saw the tracks heading off the road and called 911. Fire crews were on the way to the scene when they were intercepted by Toews in the second truck. He was treated by crews and then taken to hospital in Calgary with extensive injuries to his legs.

“If he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, he wouldn’t have survived and then the fact that he even, he must have been in incredible pain, but he still checked on his friends and made it back is quite an impressive feat,” said Davisson.

RCMP arrived at the scene at about 4:40 a.m. on Sunday and found Wack and Fish dead on the slope.

“Their bodies were found down at the bottom of the hill. There was one very close to the cliff and there was another one further out, they were both probably about 20 to 30 feet away from where the truck was,” said Davission.

Cochrane RCMP are still at the scene investigating and say the factors involved have not been determined yet.

Friends and family of the three young men are reacting to the news and many are posting condolences on social media sites.

Nathan Wack’s mother, Annette Leshchyshyn, posted a note to family friend Jill MacKay saying…

“He was the kindest young man anyone ever had the pleasure of meeting. His friends were his lifelong friends from childhood. He had a tremendous love for the outdoors and animals. He had a sharp sense of wit and humour and was always the first one there to lend a helping hand. He was apprenticing for Marlborough Ford and was to start SAIT this morning. He was a hard worker, loved life and loved his family and friends. We are gutted. We are destroyed. We have lost our first born child. There is no words that can describe the level of pain and sorrow there is.”

Family and friends of Nathan Wack are setting up a trust fund to help his family with expenses.

“To know the family, they’re such a close family and they’re all about family and they loved each other very much and it’s so devastating and to lose a son, to lose a child, I couldn’t image the pain that they’re going through and anything that we can do to help them out, anything to kind of take the ease off, something they don’t have to think about,” said Jill MacKay.

MacKay says the family is waiting for Toews to recover enough to be able to attend memorial services for his friends and that he has a tough road ahead.

“He has some very dark days ahead. He lost not only his two best friends but his mother passed away in November from cancer, so he was dealing with this and now his two very best friends are gone so he could really use some love and support and the community to just rally around him as well,’ she said.

Logan Toews posted a comment on his Facebook page on Monday saying…

As most of you have heard myself and two of my best friends Jordan Fish and Nathan Wack got in an accident on January 3 out at the waiprous ghost lake area, Nathan and Jordan unfortunately didn't make it, I would like to thank everyone for the condolences and best wishes, it's a real tragedy and I will never stop thinking of my two friends. I can't begin to feel for their families but I would like them to know how sorry I am this happened. Those two boys were like brothers to me and that will never change. RIP Jordan and Nathan.

Starting on Tuesday, anyone who wishes to help out can go to any ATB Financial location and make a donation In Trust for Nathan Wack, account number 00373202900. 

People can also send an email transfer to Nathanwacktrust@shaw.ca

The funeral for Jordan Fish is this Saturday at the Chapel of The Bells - McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes at 2720 Centre Street NE.

A service will be held for Nathan Wack on Sunday, January 18th at the same facility at 2:00 p.m.

Both services are open to the public.