EDMONTON — A head-on collision Thursday night on Highway 63 left one man dead and sent another to hospital with serious injuries. The crash between a white Chevrolet Avalanche truck and a semi-tractor trailer happened at 7:45 p.m., about 10 kilometres south of Wandering River. Traffic on the busy northern Alberta highway was shut down for nearly eight hours.
Boyle RCMP said witnesses reported seeing the Chevy speeding erratically before the crash, which happened shortly after the truck rear-ended and passed another vehicle. It then crossed over the centre line and hit the oncoming semi.
The 33-year-old man driving the Avalanche was killed in the fiery crash, while the driver of the semi was taken to hospital in serious, but not life-threatening condition.
This collision happened on an undivided section of Highway 63. It was shut down until early Friday morning, and traffic was diverted to Highway 881.
One lane of alternating traffic on Highway 63 was opened around 3:30 a.m. and traffic was expected to be delayed until early afternoon while crews worked to remove the tractor trailer from the ditch. It was hauling dangerous goods; none of which spilled on scene.
Police said weather at the time of the crash was clear and sunny. Anyone who may have seen what happened before the crash is being asked to contact the Boyle RCMP Detachment at 780-689-4081.
Serious and fatal collisions are tragically common on Highway 63, which is the main route into Fort McMurray and Alberta’s oil sands region. Click HERE for more stories about the highway.
Wandering River is about 230 kilometres north of Edmonton.
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