A man from the Blood Tribe Reserve is dead after an early morning hit-and-run collision on a southern Alberta highway.
Police said the 26-year-old died on scene.
Close to 5 a.m. on Sunday, RCMP received a call about a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian on Highway 5 just south of Lethbridge.
RCMP shut down traffic near the Lethbridge Airport until about noon as they investigated.
Police said a southbound truck struck one of two pedestrians walking alongside the highway. The truck did not stay at the scene, police said.
“The impact to the one pedestrian was serious enough to cause it to be a fatal,” said Coaldale RCMP Staff Sgt. Glenn Henry.
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“Just an absolute terrible tragedy we had here this morning,” he said.
“I really feel for the family and what they’re going through.”
The investigation is ongoing with officers trying to determine the cause.
RCMP had been looking for help tracking down the vehicle, described as a red Dodge pickup truck with front-end damage.
On Monday night, the driver of the truck came forward to Coaldale RCMP.
The owner of the truck, who police said was not driving the vehicle at the time of the collision, saw the news and came forward with the person who had been driving.
The truck has been seized by police.
RCMP said the name of the 31-year-old driver would not be released Tuesday morning as charged had not been laid.
Police said while it was dark outside at the time of the collision, streetlights were on in the area. RCMP said the paved highway was dry and visibility was not obstructed.
With files from Caley Ramsay, Global News.
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