Emergency crews were busy in and around Calgary as they responded to dozens of collisions amid wintry conditions, two of which they said resulted in fatalities.
One person is dead and another has been taken to hospital after a single-vehicle crash on the QEII Highway on Tuesday afternoon.
The collision happened in the southbound lane just north of Crossfield at around 3:30 p.m.
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EMS said one person was pronounced dead at the scene and a second was taken to the Foothills Hospital in stable condition.
Calgary police also responded to a vehicle that crashed into a pole on the Stoney Trail ramp heading eastbound towards Highway 22X.
According to police, at around 4:20 p.m., a 2003 Ford Escape was heading east on Stoney Trail towards 88 Street southeast when it began to spin out of control, before hitting a post.
There were four men in the car at the time, one of whom was taken to South Health Campus in life-threatening condition. The 19-year-old man, and driver of the vehicle, died as a result of his injuries.
The three passengers had minor injuries.
Police said the weather played a factor in the collision and that the vehicle was “travelling too fast for the road conditions.”
EMS said paramedics responded to over 40 collisions in and around Calgary between noon and shortly after 7 p.m.
“Road conditions are very poor and continue to deteriorate,” EMS spokesperson Stuart Brideaux said in a news release. “EMS advises motorists avoid all non-essential travel.”
Brideaux said if people decide they need to drive in and around Calgary, they should take the following precautions:
- Allow significantly more travel time to your destination
- Increase your following distance and decrease your speed suitable to poor road conditions
- Ensure your vehicle is fully prepared for highway winter driving conditions if you are leaving the city
- Keep a roadside emergency kit in your vehicle and carry extra winter clothing
- Ensure your cellular device is fully charged in the event of an emergency and advise others of your travel plans
Police continue to investigate the crashes near Crossfied on the Stoney Trail ramp.
Between 4 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, Calgary police say there have been a total of 149 crashes.
Of those crashes, 14 were collisions involving injuries, 23 were hit-and-run collisions with no injuries and 112 collisions involving no injuries.
— With files from Phil Heidenreich and Christa Dao