It was a busy two days for Barrhead’s RCMP and fire departments last Thursday and Friday, as they responded to three separate motor vehicle collisions in the area.
Two Edmonton men were transported to hospital in Edmonton via STARS air ambulance following a two-vehicle collision on Highway 33 at Township Road 575.
The collision occurred around noon on Sept. 9, said RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds.
A northbound pickup truck pulling a trailer crossed the centre line in order to avoid a turning vehicle and struck a southbound minivan in a head-on collision. Both vehicles ended up in the southbound shoulder.
When EMS personnel from Barrhead and Lac Ste. Anne counties arrived on scene, they had to cut the two occupants of the minivan out of the vehicle. The occupants were found to have serious lower-body injuries and were transported to hospital via STARS.
The driver of the pickup truck received only minor injuries. He was taken to Barrhead hospital where he was treated and released.
Dodds said alcohol or other drugs were not factors in the collision, and the road conditions and visibility were clear. In addition, all three occupants were wearing their seatbelts, he said.
The collision remains under investigation.
A 10-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after he was hit by a loaded gravel truck pulling a pup trailer at the intersection of Highway 33 and 53 Avenue on Sept. 8.
The collision occurred at around 3:30 p.m., said RCMP Cpl. Darryl Lutz.
According to Lutz, the truck was travelling south on Highway 33 when the boy tried to run east across the street against a red light.
If it weren’t for the driver’s quick reactions, the collision could have been worse, he said.
“It appears … that the driver’s attentiveness probably saved this from being more tragic than it was,” he said. “In the split second he did have, he did manage to avoid the young boy somewhat.”
In that split second, Lutz said the driver swerved quickly to his right and struck the boy with a glancing blow, sending him into the middle of the intersection.
The boy did not suffer any serious injuries in the collision, Lutz said, other than a number of scrapes and bruises, or “road rash.”
After the collision, traffic was constrained through the intersection for about 30-45 minutes, he said.
Lutz said after an incident like this, it’s important for people to be careful crossing the street, even if they’re using a crosswalk.
“They call them a crosswalk,” he said, “That means walk. Don’t run across them.”
In addition, he said that even if it looks like you can get across in time, it’s best to wait until you have the complete right of way. However, that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be safe.
“Even if you have the right of way, you’re not going to win against a vehicle,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, RCMP and the Barrhead fire department responded to a single vehicle rollover on Highway 33 at Township Road 575.
Lutz said the call came in at around 10:35 a.m. that a vacuum truck had rolled over and was blocking the northbound lane.
The truck had been travelling south on the highway when its wheels got caught on the soft shoulder. When trying to regain control of the truck and get it back on the road, the weight of the load the truck had in its tank caused it to flip on its side and slide across the road, Lutz said.
Alcohol and speed are not believed to be factors, he said, and the 75-year-old male driver appears to have been wearing his seatbelt.
The driver suffered only minor scrapes and bruises.
As a result of the rollover, the highway was reduced to one lane through the site for approximately two-and-a-half hours.
