EDMONTON — It’s been a busy few days on the roads for RCMP across Alberta, as upwards of 50 centimetres of snow fell in some regions.
Since Thursday, officers have responded to more than 600 collisions in Alberta. About 50 of those involved injuries.
Snow, wind and icy roadways led to treacherous driving conditions across the province. A rare travel advisory was issued earlier this week due to the major winter storm that passed through.
READ MORE: Snowfall amounts in Edmonton, northern Alberta
Officers were particularly overwhelmed on Thursday, when they responded to several serious injury collisions. The QEII near Red Deer was especially dangerous, RCMP said.
While attending to one of the crash scenes, a sheriff’s vehicle was stuck by an out-of-control semi. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.
READ MORE: Officers ‘overwhelmed’ by QEII crashes; travel on Alberta highways still not recommended
An RCMP officer also had a close call on Thursday afternoon after stopping a man on Highway 28 near Smoky Lake due to the road being under a no-travel advisory. The Mountie was at Sean McRae’s car window when his cruiser was rammed by a pick-up truck.
“The truck kept going, did a couple of 360s in front of my car and came to rest about 60 metres in front of my car,” McRae said.
Nobody was hurt, but the 73-year-old driver of the pick-up is facing careless driving charges.
Watch below: Sean McRae speaks about his dangerously close call
RCMP said Saturday highway conditions had improved, but officers are still urging drivers to travel safely and use extra caution.
Many of the major highways in Alberta were listed as bare or partially covered with snow and ice Saturday afternoon. For the latest information on highway conditions, visit 511 Alberta’s website.
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