Four people killed in a horrific crash in Quebec's La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve yesterday have been identified as a family from Montreal's South Shore.

The family members, from Longueuil, were in a car travelling south on Highway 117 in the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve on Wednesday when the vehicle collided head-on with a truck. Their names are:

Danny Lambert, Stephanie Lavallée, Mia Lambert-Duchesne and Emy-Rose Lambert were killed in a car crash on Wednesday. (Facebook)

• Danny Lambert, 36.
• Stephanie Lavallée, 29.
• Mia Lambert-Duchesne, 7.
• Emy-Rose Lambert, 2.

Quebec provincial police Sgt. Marc Tessier said the family was returning home from northern Quebec when the crash happened.

"The information we have right now is that the victim lost control of his vehicle while attempting to pass another vehicle," he said.

The oncoming truck was unable to swerve out of the way because of the snowbanks lining the highways, he said.

"He was squeezed between the snowbank and the vehicle," he said.

The force of the impact was so significant, the car was severed in two.

The driver of the truck is in hospital in Mont Laurier and is being treated for serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Police are still speaking with witnesses, and their experts have yet to examine the vehicle.

The reserve, about 350 kilometres northwest of Montreal, covers nearly 12,590 square kilometres of contiguous land and lake area.