2 dead after series of crashes along Highway 16
2 dead after series of crashes along Highway 16
05 December 2014
published by www.cbc.ca
Canada — RCMP are still working to restore normal traffic flow along Highway 16, where a series of crashes have killed two and caused several detours in the past 24 hours.
A 65-year-old woman was killed when the minivan she was riding in was struck by a van near Vermilion, east of Edmonton. The womans husband, who was driving, is in hospital with serious injuries.
RCMP are still looking into the cause of the collision.
West of Edmonton, RCMP were called out to two separate multi-vehicle crashes along the same stretch of road near Range Road 121 on Thursday night.
RCMP say a 40-year-old man was killed after his pick-up truck rear-ended a semi-truck in the eastbound lane of the highway. His name has not yet been released.
Around the same time, westbound traffic was shut down on the divided highway for hours after a 17-vehicle pile-up. No serious injuries were reported.
Both collisions are currently under investigation.
RCMP say visibility was poor at the time of the crashes due to smoke from a controlled burn in the area, which is also being blamed for a third crash on Highway 16 near Evansburg Friday morning.
Weather changes this morning caused heavy smoke to reach ground level causing zero visibility, the county said in a news release.
Traffic was re-routed for several hours before the highway re-opened around 3:30 p.m. However, the county is warning drivers to exercise caution.
