“Slow down; it’s winter time. Buy snow tires,” insisted Athabasca RCMP Sgt. Brian Scott, moments after a single vehicle rollover on Highway 55 sent a senior to hospital with minor head injuries early Sunday afternoon.
The woman was transported to hospital after she lost control of her maroon Ford four-door hatchback and rolled into the south ditch of Highway 55 at Highway 827 just before 1 p.m. on Sunday.
RCMP reported the woman, estimated to be in her 60s or 70s, sustained a head injury and reportedly had a small amount of blood coming from her head after the rollover, but is thought to be in stable condition.
EMS arrived on scene within minutes; for precautionary measures, the woman was taken by stretcher to an ambulance and transported to Athabasca Medical Centre, according to Scott.
“In rollovers with older people, we don’t take any chances. (EMS) put her on a stretcher, made sure she’s safe,” said Scott.
This latest accident is one of three similar single-vehicle rollovers within the past week, two of which were on Highway 55 within two kilometers of each other. In each case, seemingly good road conditions mislead drivers underestimating the severity of the roads.
Around the time of the accident, even heavier pickup trucks were spotted having some difficulty with road traction around Athabasca.
