EDMONTON – Snow and extremely windy conditions made for treacherous driving conditions on several Alberta highways overnight.
Innisfail RCMP say officers responded to several collisions on the QEII south of Red Deer. One collision in particular involved six vehicles and forced southbound traffic to be re-routed for about three hours Friday night.
No serious injuries were reported in any of the collisions, but several motorists were left stranded in their vehicles. With the assistance of both the Olds and Bowden Fire Departments, emergency crews rescued a few dozen stranded motorists. Buses were brought in to transport people to local shelters.
Further south, conditions weren’t any better. Dallas Jensen drove from his nearby farm to rescue his son who was stranded near the Town of Strathmore.
“Sometimes all three of us would lose sight of where we were,” said Jensen. “And on the way home, it was getting worse and we were getting vertigo because we couldn’t see anything.
“It was really, really difficult,” he added.
“Two and a half hours to go eight miles, but we had to get these kids out of here or they would freeze to death.”
READ MORE: Wild weather causing trouble across Alberta
While visibility and road conditions improved Saturday afternoon, police are reminding motorists to drive to the conditions as there are still icy patches on Alberta highways.
Police are reminding motorists to always be prepared for winter driving conditions by having an emergency kit in their vehicles at all times.
The Canadian Automobile Association recommends all drivers carry the following items in their winter survival kit:
– Warm winter gloves, toque and boots
– Blanket or extra clothing
– Bag of sand or kitty litter
– Small shovel
– Ice scraper and/or snow brush
– Booster cables
– Non-perishable food items
– Water bottles
– Extra windshield washer fluid
– First Aid kit
– Road maps (not just a GPS unit)
– Flashlight and batteries
– Flares
– Waterproof matches
– Battery jumper cables
– A fully-charged cellphone
– Tools
– Fire extinguisher
– Duct tape
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