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

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