Three people, including two teenagers, are dead and two others injured after a crash that left a Fredericton, N.B., community shocked.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, two men, ages 22 and 17, and a woman, 14, died after the vehicle they were traveling in crashed into a sidewalk on Douglas Avenue, then into a tree, He went airborne and landed on another parked vehicle. – where four occupants were preparing to leave. Those four people suffered minor injuries.
Two other passengers, a 15-year-old man and a 14-year-old woman, were also injured. The 15-year-old is being treated for critical injuries at the IWK Hospital in Halifax.
“This is a tragedy. “Three young men were killed in a single-vehicle crash and one was airlifted in critical condition to the IWK,” said Fredericton Police Chief Martin Gaudet. “We have some accidents in our jurisdiction. No doubt. But we don’t have many deaths. Thank God. We certainly keep statistics. But this one is quite significant. It is a tragedy for the community. “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.”
Gaudet said speed was the main factor, but an investigation is underway to determine if other factors were involved.
He said there is a criminal investigation underway, but it has been difficult to determine who the driver was.
Critical incident stress management services have been deployed to first responders on scene.
“For those of us who have been doing this work for a while, when you go on those calls, you can’t unsee it,” Gaudet said.
Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said it will take time for the community to come to terms with the loss.
“When something like this happens in your city, you are stunned. I think we are all processing this right now, along with the community,” she said.
Some of the victims went to Fredericton’s Leo Hayes High School, where there is now a crisis response team.
“Visiting the school this morning, it was clear that the staff and students were in good hands and receiving the support they needed,” said David McTimoney, superintendent of the Western Anglophone School District. “The support will be maintained as long as it is necessary. “I am sure the community shares our collective pain following this terrible accident.”
Gaudet said an officer attempted to stop the vehicle as it passed on a different street. They turned on their lights and sirens, but lost them when they turned to follow them. The accident occurred several minutes later.
That agent was placed in the area because there have been several complaints from neighbors about speeding.
The Douglas Avenue area is a neighborhood where the speed limit is 50. It has bike lanes, small libraries, and many young families.
Residents tell CTV News speeding has been an issue for some time.
Jamie Hunter lives across the street from where the accident occurred. He says he has seen some vehicles driving at least 80 kilometers per hour.
“It’s a residential neighborhood with kids and people walking their dogs and I know nothing seems to change,” he said. “I think we really need the council and whoever oversees us to take a look at places like Douglas Avenue and other places in the city, and how can we slow down traffic? How do we manage that? “This way we can avoid problems in the future like the one that just happened.”
For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.