EDMONTON – Six people have been taken to hospital after a fiery crash involving three vehicles on Highway 63.
Boyle RCMP say the three vehicle collision happened around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, 18 kilometers north of Atmore.
Witnesses say a southbound semi lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic, striking two northbound cars.
Investigators say the driver of a southbound semi was forced to heavily apply his brakes for unknown reasons, causing them to lock up. His empty tanker trailers then jackknifed into on-coming traffic. One vehicle hit the semi, but police call it a “glancing blow.”
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.
An SUV – with four people inside – was hit directly and burst into flames.
A nearby construction crew pulled the four people out of the burning vehicle before applying first aid.
The driver of a pickup truck used his vehicle to force the burning SUV into a ditch. A construction worker then used a backhoe to douse the flames on the SUV with muddy water.
Three family members, a 21-year-old woman and two men who are 19 and 48-years-old, were flown by STARS and fixed-wing aircraft to Edmonton hospitals, where they remain in serious condition. The fourth person in the vehicle was treated at a local hospital and has been released.
The driver of the semi sustained minor injuries.
Corporal John Spaans from the Boyle RCMP is praising the efforts of the witnesses and doesn’t think the people in the SUV would have survived without their help.
Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor.
Highway 63 reopened Tuesday morning.
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