Calgary police are “pleading with motorists to drive with care” after emergency crews responded to three serious-injury crashes within hours on Saturday night.
“This has been a deadly and dangerous week for Calgary motorists. Please slow down, drive with care and do not drive impaired,” said Sgt. Colin Foster with the Calgary Police Service’s collision reconstruction unit in a news release on Sunday.
Each collision has a different cause, but they all resulted in the same outcome: “Calgarians seriously harmed and families left dealing with a crisis,” he said.
“As a driver, it is your responsibility to make good decisions in the best interest of those around you,” Foster said.
“Help us prevent any other families grieving the loss of a loved one during the holidays.”
Downtown pursuit and pedestrian collision
On Saturday evening, police said a car rear-ended a truck and did not stop. The truck driver pursued the car driver throughout downtown.
After 5 p.m., the car drove through a red light at the intersection of 5 Avenue and 1 Street S.E. and struck two pedestrians in the crosswalk, officers said. The car, still pursued by the truck, drove to a residence in northeast Calgary. Police took both drivers into custody at that location.
Police said an off-duty paramedic helped the two pedestrians until EMS arrived. Both victims were taken to hospital in serious condition, one of whom had life-altering injuries, police said.
Charges are pending against the car driver. Speed and impairment are being investigated as factors.
The truck driver is facing charges for dangerous driving due to the pursuit.
“What began as a simple property damage collision almost led to catastrophic results. We cannot stress this enough: do not follow drivers when they flee the scene of an accident. Call 911 and follow the direction of the emergency communications officers,” Foster said.
Blackfoot Trail crash
A second serious collision happened Saturday at around 6:40 p.m., and roads near Blackfoot Trail and Highfield Road S.E. were shut down for hours.
A silver 2005 Toyota Corolla was turning from Blackfoot Trail into the parking lot of the Cash Casino when it was struck by a black 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee heading north on Blackfoot Trail.
The crash had such force that the Jeep “was thrown into the support column for the traffic signals” while the Corolla was “forced across both north- and southbound lanes of Blackfoot Trail,” police said.
The Corolla driver had critical, life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, police said.
The Jeep driver was not injured.
Impairment was not a factor, but police believe the Jeep’s excessive speed was.
Woodpark Avenue collision
At 10 p.m., police responded to Woodpark Avenue and 24 Street S.W. after two vehicles collided in an intersection when one turned left in front of the other.
The Calgary Fire Department pulled both drivers from their vehicles. They were taken to hospital in life-threatening condition and later upgraded to stable condition, police said.
Impairment is not a factor. The investigation is ongoing.
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