Man dead, woman injured after Highway 1 crash between Bassano and Brooks

A man died and a woman was injured after a two-vehicle crash between Bassano and Brooks in southern Alberta on Wednesday.

RCMP said a truck pulling a horse trailer was heading west on Highway 1 when it collided with a tow truck stopped on the side of the road at around 2:40 p.m.

Police said the tow truck had lights flashing and was on a separate call.

The driver of the truck, an 83-year-old man from Olds, Alta., was pronounced dead at the scene, RCMP said. A 73-year-old woman, the passenger, was taken by HALO Air Ambulance to a Calgary hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, according to police.

There was a horse in the trailer at the time of the crash, and police said it wasn’t injured and was reported OK.

The tow truck operators were not injured, RCMP said.

1:36 Slow down, move over: Tow truck operators ask Alberta drivers to consider their safety

Westbound lanes of traffic were rerouted to Highway 36, police said, adding that the scene was cleared at 6 p.m.

Roads were icy at the time of the collision, officers said.

The crash is under investigation.