A 58-year-old man is dead following a three-vehicle collision on 66 Street just south of Fort Road at around 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Police said it was Edmonton’s fourth traffic fatality of 2017.
“It involved three vehicles… two were southbound, one was just about to cross the LRT tracks when the subject vehicle itself, in the curb lane rear-ended the vehicle in front of him as he was coming up the rise,” said Sgt. James McLeod with the Major Collisions Investigation Unit. “That caused that vehicle to rotate off the road to the west, coming to a rest just behind me. The vehicle that rear-ended that vehicle veered off left of centre and struck an oncoming motorist travelling northbound.”
Police said the driver of the vehicle that was initially rear-ended, a black Chevrolet Impala, was pronounced dead at the scene while the 39-year-old man driving a grey Honda Accord that caused the impact was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. They said both people in the northbound white Hyundai Sante Fe Sport involved in the head-on crash were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Hyundai was being driven by a 55-year-old woman and was also carrying an eight-year-old girl.
Police said they are now hoping to get in touch with a driver whom they believe may have witnessed the crash unfold.
“We’re looking to speak with the driver of a small, white sedan which was also seen travelling southbound on 66 Street alongside the vehicles involved in the collision,” McLeod said. “We received information to suggest this person was a witness to the collision and we believe they may have information pertinent to this investigation. We encourage them to get in touch with the EPS.”
Police said they believe speed played a role in the crash but said it was too early to say whether alcohol or drugs factored in to what happened.
Watch below: Edmonton police continue to investigate what led to a three-vehicle crash that left a 58-year-old man dead on Sunday. Shallima Maharaj reports.
The area was closed and the LRT was shut down for several hours while police investigated.
An Edmonton Transit official said the LRT was not involved in the collision but due to the proximity of the crash, the tracks were closed while police investigated.
Edmonton Transit had buses running between the Clareview and Coliseum transit stations but normal LRT service resumed at around 3 p.m.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.