A Chestermere boy died in a car crash at a dangerous intersection near the town of 15,000, May 2.
Emergency crews responded to the accident at the intersection of Highway 1 and Paradise Road just after 4 p.m. after a white Toyota car carrying two women and three children, ages five to eight, was struck by a minivan. The car was trying to make a left hand turn across multiple lanes of traffic.
A young boy was pronounced dead on the scene.
A girl, who was ejected from the rear seat, and a second boy were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The two women were also taken to hospital.
The driver and sole occupant of the minivan was unharmed.
According to Sgt. Patricia Neely, the girl, who was airlifted by STARS Air Ambulance, is in stable condition and the boy remains in critical condition. She warns drivers about the importance of safe driving habits.
“We are cautioning drivers to obey all the rules of the road and pay attention when they are driving,” she said. “Drive defensively.”
According to Chestermere Mayor Patricia Matthews the intersection has been the site of several accidents and some near misses. She added there has been an increasing amount of traffic at the site.
She said the Province has jurisdiction over that section of roadway, adding that an interim solution is in its final approval process with Alberta Transportation after a lengthy consultation period that included Rocky View County and the Town of Chestermere.
“We are expecting (the interim solution) shortly,” she said. “(It will be) a right-in, right-out solution, with the intersection closed to crossing traffic.”
Matthews added a long-term solution would see Paradise Road closed, with traffic routed to the Rainbow Road interchange, the next intersection to the west.
Matthews said the Town’s sympathy goes out to the grieving family.
“Anytime there is an accident and there is a fatality, it is a tragedy, but it hits home when it is a child,” said Matthews.
“The town’s sympathy goes out to the family who suffered the loss of a child and our thoughts are with them in their grief.”
