Boyle RCMP responded to two fatal crashes on Highway 63 over the weekend.
The first occurred on Saturday at approximately 11:50 a.m. The crash occurred 45 kilometres north of Wandering River at kilometre marker 91.
A southbound Ford F150 truck was towing a travel trailer when it left the road and rolled onto the truck’s passenger side.
The 68-year-old driver was partially ejected from the vehicle, as he was not wearing his seatbelt, and was pronounced dead on scene.
The second single-vehicle fatal crash occurred at 4 p.m. on Saturday near Newbrook. A Ford F350 welding truck was traveling south on Highway 63 when it rolled numerous times and landed on its roof. The vehicle caught fire because of the collision.
The passenger in the vehicle, a 43-year-old male, was pronounced dead on scene. The passenger was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.
The 20-year-old driver was arrested and charged with impaired driving causing death, operating a motor vehicle over the legal blood-alcohol limit causing death, and criminal negligence causing death. He was taken into custody and released on $500 cash bail and will appear in Fort Saskatchewan court on Thursday.
Sgt. Kevin McGillivray said the leading cause of criminal death in Canada is impaired driving. He also warns drivers that if you are caught not wearing your seatbelt, it is a $115 fine.
The 60-year-old driver of a GMC Sierra was airlifted to Edmonton after an early morning collision on Highway 63 north of Boyle last Wednesday.
The two-vehicle collision occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Highway 63 just north of the Highway 55 turnoff.
The driver of the Sierra is currently in critical but stable condition.
The icy conditions played a part in the crash, and charges are pending against the driver of a transport truck that was involved in the incident, according to Cst. Matt Lapointe of the Boyle RCMP.
After the collision, another transport truck was hit by debris from the crash. The highway 10 kilometres north of Boyle was closed from the time of the crash until 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Traffic was required to take a detour, the conditions of which were reported as very poor.
Grassland and Boyle fire departments responded to the scene, as did Athabasca and Boyle ambulance.
