A Nanaimo father killed in a crash on the Malahat Highway was an experienced driver who loved his job, according to family members mourning his death.

Jonathan Seidel, a 36-year-old sewage truck driver for BDL Disposal Services, was killed when his vehicle flipped on the highway Wednesday morning.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but the Ministry of Transportation says recent safety inspections on Seidel's work truck revealed no major concerns.

"We're still waiting to hear back what they think the full cause was. We've ruled out mechanical issues but everything else is kind of still up in the air," said Seidel's sister Jennifer Kurucz. "Really when it comes down to it, Jonathan was a responsible and well experienced driver. It can really just happen to anyone."

Kurucz said she and her family remain in a state of shock after her brother's tragic death, but friends and strangers have stepped up to help ease their pain.

"We're obviously quite devastated here, but we're also completely overwhelmed by the community outreach and everybody willing to help in any way that they can," she said.

Seidel's death is especially painful because just this year he married his wife, started his job with DBL and welcomed his baby daughter Hazel two months ago.

"That really kind of completed his family," said Kurucz. "He was just in a really good place doing really good things, and he was happy."

The tragic death has hit home with thousands of people in B.C., Canada and as far as Australia. A GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral costs and to assist Seidel's family had already raised more than $30,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

As a family grieves, the crash has also stirred debate over the lack of alternative routes to the Malahat Highway.

The Malahat was shut down for about eight hours Wednesday as investigators processed the scene and Hazmat crews cleaned up the resulting sewage spill.

Spots on the Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay ferry route that bypasses the Malahat through the Saanich Inlet quickly sold out, and many drivers weren't willing to make the challenging hours-long detour around the Pacific Marine Route.

The president of the BC Trucking Association says when crashes shut down the Malahat, the only major route in and out of southern Vancouver Island, it can negatively impact the economy.

"It's not just an eight-hour delay, it's what that does the day that it happens and then the days following," said Dave Earle. "What we hear consistently when it comes to the Malahat is the concern about reliability of the route being open, and that real lack of any real alternative."

The province says it is reviewing options for alternate routes including roads and ferries, with details expected to be revealed in the fall.

But for Seidel's family, the topic has taken a back seat as they mourn the death of a man who was just coming into his own.

"Looking at him you'd never know that he was just so kind and loving, and goofy," said Kurucz. "We're so grateful in that he was just really happy he passed away doing what he wanted to do, and he was in a really good place in his life."