According to Didsbury RCMP Spokesman Corporal Warren Wright, a Strathmore man in his 40s was killed on Dec. 15 when the car he was driving southbound on Highway 2A north of Crossfield by Range Road 292 crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a truck traveling in the opposite direction.
“They made a connection in the northbound lane but then the car kept going southbound and into the ditch,” Wright said. “The truck kept going north and onto the shoulder.”
The Crossfield Fire Department and EMS were also called to the scene of the collision at 7:30 a.m. The Strathmore man was driving a 1994 Oldsmobile passenger car.
“We sent a unit from Airdrie,” said EMS Spokesman Stuart Brideaux. “There were two occupants in the northbound truck that didn’t need EMS assistance or transport. The single occupant of the car was significantly trapped inside his car. We recognized him as being critical while he was still trapped and we were going to have to wait until we had access to him to make any decisions. Unfortunately when paramedics were able to get right to him, he was deceased. No efforts (to resuscitate him) were initiated.”
According to RCMP, alcohol, speed, weather, and road conditions are not believed to be factors in the collision. The RCMP collision analyst from Calgary attended the scene and the investigation is on-going.
“We don’t know why the vehicle crossed the centre line,” Wright said.
Wright said it was remarkable that neither the driver of the truck, a 25 year old man from Edmonton, nor the 20 year old man from Kelowna were seriously injured.
“It’s an F550, which is a two ton pick-up, but it had this big steel bumper on the front that probably took the majority of the impact,” he said. “The only real damage (to the truck) was (the impact) tore off the right front driver wheel. The driving compartment was completely intact. Those guys might have had some whiplash but EMS didn’t spend any time on them.”
Wright said the name of the man who was killed is being withheld at the request of his family.
