One person has been sent to hospital as a result of a two-vehicle collision between a dark GMC Sierra pickup and a blue compact sedan at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at the corner of Highway 55 and 34th Street.
Athabasca RCMP and fire rescue responded, and Town of Athabasca community peace officer (CPO) Shaun Woloschuk helped direct traffic.
"The blue car was heading out of town going east, and the black truck was turning (left) into town," according to one eyewitness who said he was trailing the pickup in his own vehicle as it pulled out onto the highway and was hit by the car passing by.
The man said the car appeared to be going "a normal speed" and that he got the sense that "maybe (the man driving the pickup) may not have seen it."
Athabasca RCMP Cst. Luke Lichty could not confirm what if any injuries may have been sustained by occupants of the vehicles, although a male child was seen on a stretcher.
"We're always cautious. We treat everything as if it's serious …" stated the constable.
Lichty could not confirm the circumstances surrounding the incident as the investigation is still underway. However, he did say the dark pickup contained one single male adult occupant and the blue sedan contained a woman and child.
"One of the nice things about this one: the number of people who stopped and helped and made sure everything was OK," said Lichty, suggesting at least one "random driver" who had first aid experience may have tried to help.
"The problem is, you can't put lights or something at this intersection because of that hill," said Lichty. "Semis can't stop on that hill in the winter or they slide right back down."
Two trucks from Steve's Towing removed both vehicles from the scene.
The constable called it "a fabulous response time" and applauded how emergency responders came together to wrap up a serious accident in half an hour and help restore traffic flow.
Lichty said the town's community peace officer is "great" and will "help out wherever necessary, wherever he can."
"We had people on the scene before the call came through," said Lichty.
"Our traffic unit just happened to be here, and our firefighters are always quick. I'm amazed at how fast volunteer firefighters get to every call."
