At 12:30 a.m. on June 24, the Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit responded to an incident at the construction zone near the Cross Iron Mills Mall on Highway 2, near Balzac.
While crews installed the last girder of the bridge over the southbound lanes, the girder cracked and twisted. It hung precariously in the air for almost two hours before it gave way and fell onto the highway. Four additional cranes were called in to remove the girder. No one was injured.
The southbound lanes of the highway were closed entirely from 4:30 a.m. to almost noon. All traffic travelling southbound was re-directed onto Highway 566. RCMP responded to several motor vehicle collisions on alternate routes of travel due to the heavy congestion.
One June 19 at 12:03 p.m., Cochrane RCMP was called to help Calgary Water Rescue respond to a complaint of a man in the Elbow River in distress.
The Cochrane RCMP, Redwood Meadows, Rocky View and Calgary Fire Departments, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers and HAWCs Helicopter responded immediately to the location and began searching the river.
At around 2 p.m., a body matching the description of the man was located about five kilometres down stream from the point he was last seen by one of the fire units.
Calgary Water Rescue and Conservation Officers performed a swift recovery of the body.
Witnesses said the man did not have a floatation device with him. The Elbow River is flowing at a very high rate at this time, due to the recent rain and spring run off.
The victim is a 22-year-old man from Alberta. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The matter is still under investigation by the Cochrane RCMP.
On June 21 at about 3:30 p.m., Cochrane RCMP responded to a single vehicle roll over on Highway 1 near Exit 124 (the Ozada Overpass).
Investigation revealed there were four occupants in a Chevrolet Sonoma pick-up truck; two in the cab and two in the box of the truck.
The two occupants in the box of the truck were seen leaving the accident. One occupant was located by police, brought back to the scene and assessed by EMS. Stars Air Ambulance then transported him to a Calgary hospital. The other person in the box of the truck was not located.
Two occupants were trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by firefighters. The passenger had non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a Calgary hospital by ambulance. The driver, who was eight months pregnant, sustained serious injuries and was also transported to hospital by Stars Air Ambulance.
This matter is still under investigation and it appears as if alcohol may have been a factor. The driver of the vehicle could be facing several charges related to the accident.
All the occupants of the vehicle were from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
On June 20 at about 4 p.m., Cochrane RCMP responded to a serious off-road vehicle collision that had occurred on Woodland Road.
EMS was already on scene and treating a 10-year-old boy who was riding an ATV quad by himself on the road without permission when it crashed into a wooded ditch.
No other vehicle was involved in the collision. The boy suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a Calgary hospital.
This matter is still under investigation by Cochrane RCMP and anyone with information is asked to contact Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000.
The name of the boy will not be released.
On June 21 at about 7 p.m., Cochrane RCMP responded to an Ultra Light plane crash, which occurred near Range Road 43, northwest of Cochrane.
Investigation revealed the home-built Ultra Light plane was coming in for a landing on the pilot’s private landing strip when the front landing gear collapsed causing the plane to flip over onto its roof.
The two occupants were checked by EMS on scene and sustained no injuries. The plane received minor damages.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating.
On June 4, a Chestermere resident had their dog stolen from their front yard on Springmere Grove. The dog was seen by a witness being taken from the area where it was leashed and placed into a gold SUV by an unknown woman. At this point, police do not have a no license plate number or a description of the suspect.
The dog is a four-month-old blonde husky and responds to “Niva.”
If you have information about any crime, contact your local RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.tipsubmit.com
