A Whitehorse-area man was killed last Wednesday when the transport truck he was driving loaded with copper concentrate left the Wolverine Mine haul road.

Pierre Tremblay, 46, died from injuries sustained in the accident, says a press release issued last Friday by Ross River RCMP Const. Colin Kemp.

"The driver of the loaded truck had departed the mine bound from Watson Lake,” says the press release. "While travelling the mine road, the transport truck went over a steep embankment.”

Tremblay was the sole occupant. He was employed by Hy's North Transportation out of Kamloops, B.C., the company contracted with Yukon Zinc Corp. to haul concentrate from the mine to the port of Stewart, B.C.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor, says the RCMP release.

Yukon coroner Kirsten Macdonald said the driver's body has been sent to Vancouver for an autopsy and toxicology screening to determine the cause of a death.

Richard Mostyn of the Yukon Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board said this morning that because the fatality involves an inter-provincial trucking company, the investigation is being led by a federal agency.

The local board headquarters did send two officials to the site last Thursday morning to assist, he said.

Hy's North is not issuing any statements at this time.

Yukon Zinc spokeswoman Crystal Zhang said this mining the company is not issuing any statements, as Tremblay was not its employee.

She did confirm the truck left the haul road 12 kilometres from the mine site, or just under halfway along the 27-kilometre route connecting the mine with the Robert Campbell Highway.

Zhang said under normal operating conditions, outside the season for road bans, the mine ships out between 70 and 80 truck loads per week.

The lead investigator for the federal Department of Employment and Social Development was unavailable this morning for comment.

The Yukon coroner said she was waiting for details regarding whether the federal agency will conduct a mechanical inspection of the truck, and where the truck might be taken.

The Wolverine Mine was under construction in 2009 and 2010, and the mill was commissioned in late 2010 with the Chinese-owned operation reaching commercial production in early 2013.

There are currently 286 employees, of whom 168 are employed by Yukon Zinc and another 118 are employeed by contract companies for the underground mining and camp services.

This is the third fatality at or related to the Wolverine Mine, which produces zinc, lead and copper concentrate.

A 20-year-old underground miner, Paul Wentzell, died in October 2009 when a piece of equipment he was driving was improperly secured and rolled down a 15 per cent grade, striking him from behind.

A 25-year-old mechanic, William Fisher, died underground as the result of a cave-in six months later.