One person was killed in a pile of trucks on Alberta’s busiest highway Thursday morning, when freezing rain washed over roads and highways in and around Edmonton.
The multi-vehicle collision accident occurred around 6:15 a.m. on Northbound Highway 2 at the Crandall Overpass at Township Road 435, about 50 miles south of Edmonton.
RCMP said preliminary investigation indicates that a semi-trailer in the QEII was subsequently struck by a second tractor trailer. A third semi-trailer failed to stop and slid toward the scene of the accident.
A fatal collision involving several semi trucks on the QEII highway north of Ponoka, Alta. on Wednesday, November 25, 2021.
Courtesy: Lionel Waskewitch
At least one person died as a result of the collision, RCMP said, adding details about other injuries or the total number of vehicles involved was not available as of 11:30 a.m.
Global News was able to count at least eight semi-trailers and passenger vehicles that were involved in the accident or that had struck the ditch near the scene.
One of the trailers was split in half by the impact of the crash and debris from its cargo covered the road.
The drivers and their passengers who passed the scene were in disbelief at the carnage left behind. Kim Bradshaw works in healthcare and said she sees tragedies all the time.
“You just think of the families that are destroyed and just before the Christmas season as well,” Bradshaw said.
“It is difficult. It is difficult when you work and see it.”
A fatal collision involving several semi trucks on the QEII highway north of Ponoka, Alta. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2021. QEII’s northbound lanes were closed Thursday morning and traffic was diverting at the Highway 53 overpass in Ponoka.
Police said the detour was expected to continue into the afternoon while an RCMP collision analyst investigates the fatal crash.
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Freezing rain wreaks havoc on roads in the Edmonton region, several fatal collisions Thursday morning
Numerous highways in Alberta were affected by freezing rain early Thursday morning and RCMP said it is believed to be a factor in the QEII accident.
The Millet Fire Department said roads in the area turned into ice caps Thursday morning and conditions at the QEII are the worst the department has seen in years.
The RCMP asked motorists to take alternate routes and avoid the area of the collision, slow down, and drive based on conditions, as they can vary across the province.
A fatal collision between a semi-trailer and a pickup truck occurred on Highway 28, north of Gibbons, between Township Road 570 and 564, on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021.
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RCMP said another fatal collision was reported north of Edmonton during the freezing rain period Thursday morning, prompting Environment Canada to issue warnings when a band of freezing rain was moving east through central Alberta. .
That fatal accident happened shortly before 7 am, north of Gibbons on Highway 28. RCMP said a semi-trailer and a pickup truck collided, killing two people in the smaller vehicle.
EMS transported two other patients in stable condition to the hospital, Alberta Health Services said.
The road was closed between Township Road 570 and 564, and a Sturgeon County peace officer said it would remain closed until Thursday afternoon.
Warnings for central Alberta ended around 10 a.m. when the system advanced.
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