‘He just veered into that semi’: Witness recounts head on crash on Highway 3 Wednesday

WINNIPEG – The impact so intense, the front wheel on the semi is ripped off and thrown meters away.

The driver is ok, but a 28-year old man in a car died.

It happened right in front of Kyle Curtis, who lives nearby.

“He just veered into that semi and stayed there,” Curtis said from his home just off the highway, “The semi tried to veer and the guy just kept coming so puff.”

READ MORE: Driver killed in Highway 3 collision near Oak Bluff

Curtis was driving along Highway 3 near Sanford towards Winnipeg Wednesday morning around 6:40 a.m., when he saw a car in front of him cross the center line and slammed into an oncoming semi.

“That truck driver ran to the car and as he was coming back he says you don’t want to go over,” Curtis said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "That truck driver ran to the car and as he was coming back he says you don't want to go over," Curtis said.

Just 16 hours earlier, another head on crash on the same stretch of Highway 3 near Sperling.  A pick-up truck crossed the center line and smashed into a utility truck.  There were no life threatening injuries but the 68-year old driver of the pickup is facing distracted driving charges.  A month ago, two men were killed in a head on crash between two cars.

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READ MORE: Collision closes highway 3 near Sperling, Man.

“I’ve seen a couple here, that’s my second accident that I’ve seen that’s pretty brutal,” Curtis said.

People who have lived along the highway for a long time say over the years, there’s been a lot more traffic on the roadway, not just cars and trucks but a lot more semis.

“I notice a lot more traffic on this road, it’s an extremely busy highway compared to 10 years ago,” Nathan Schlichting lives just off the Highway.

The highway leads to Carman, Winkler and Morden, communities that have all seen tremendous growth.

RCMP said their collision investigators have been extremely busy going from crash to crash.

“We’re asking everyone to pay attention,” Sgt. Paul Manaigre with Manitoba RCMP said. “Not to use cell phones, wear your seat belt, not to speed.”