Manitoba RCMP confirmed that a 19-year-old man from the Rural Municipality of Rockwood was pronounced dead at the scene of a serious crash on the south Perimeter Highway and Brady Road.
The initial police investigation determined that a car travelling east on the Perimeter was hit by a semi headed in the same direction.
The impact of that collision pushed the car into another large truck. Police said the 19-year-old was the only occupant of the car.
A yellow tarp could be seen covering a car just after 9 a.m. Friday, and several emergency responder units were on scene.
Mike Siemens, chief of the RM of MacDonald Fire Department, said Friday morning that his crews were working with Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and RCMP responders.
He said it appeared the car was crushed between the semi and another large truck.
“The car is crumpled up so bad at this point it’s hard to do a visual of the backseat,” he said.
“We see one adult in the front of the vehicle, likely being the driver … We see hockey sticks in the vehicle.
“We just … we hope and pray there’s not another person in the back.”
The Brady Road landfill has been dealing with increased traffic in the aftermath of the storm that hit Manitoba earlier this month, as Winnipeggers drop off loads of tree debris.
Siemens said it’s not the first time his department have been called to a crash at the intersection.
“We’ve been here multiple times in the years I’ve been the fire chief,” he said.
“From my past experience anytime we get a call like that, it’s often a high-speed impact.”
Numbers from Manitoba Public Insurance show there have been 85 crashes at the intersection over the last 10 years, including eight this year.
Friday’s death is the first fatal crash at the intersection since 2009, according to the public insurer.
The province says it plans to close the intersection once a new service road is built on the south side of the Perimeter Highway next summer.
Manitoba RCMP said the eastbound lanes of the Perimeter Highway at PR 330 were expected to be closed for most of the day Friday.
–With files from Diana Foxall