Alberta’s biggest highway was shut down briefly Saturday morning because of a serious collision, with drivers experiencing delays of several more hours due to the traffic backlog.
The two-vehicle crash on the QEII happened between Lacombe and Ponoka, near the Highway 604 turnoff, around 9:45 a.m.
RCMP said a passenger van with four people inside blew a tire and the driver lost control. The van sideswiped a dump truck and then rolled, police said.
A 13-year-old boy was airlifted by STARS air ambulance to an Edmonton hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. Another person was taken to hospital in Ponoka with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
The other two people were treated on scene for minor injuries.
The northbound and southbound lanes were closed until 11:30 a.m., when traffic was reopened to one lane in each direction. Drivers were told to expect major delays, and advised to take alternate routes if possible.
According to 511 Alberta, all lanes were reopened just before 2:30 p.m.
— More to come…