Friends remember Regina man killed by alleged drunk driver

Friends are remembering Tanner Kaufmann, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver north of Regina Sunday.

The 37 year old leaves behind a wife and two young sons.

“He was just salt of the earth, one of the nicest guys I have ever known,” said David Limacher, a friend of Tanner. “He was always a guy that everyone could rely on, he would help everybody out no matter what.”

Colby Nicholas Heid, 19, is charged with impaired driving in connection to Kaufmann’s death. 

The RCMP said Heid was driving on the Pasqua Street extension grid road, south of Zehner, when his pickup collided with another truck, killing a Regina man.

Police have not released the victim’s name publicly, but friends identified Kaufmann in the hope his death would lead to changes in the province. Saskatchewan has one of the highest drunk driving rates in the country.

Friends said Kaufmann’s story is all the more tragic because the family already buried one son killed in a car crash in 1999.

“It is shocking, it is probably the worst case scenario that you could ever imagine for his family,” Limacher said. “Tanner was the kind of guy that you would never expect to be taken in this manner and it has happened twice now for the family.”

Heid remains in custody.