Winnipeg police say a teenager is dead and another is in hospital after a high-speed crash Tuesday in Old St. Vital.
The single-vehicle crash happened just before 9 p.m. at St. Mary’s Road and near Guay Avenue where police say the car struck a utility pole and a building.
A mangled black vehicle could be seen surrounded by evidence markers Wednesday morning.
In a release early Wednesday police said the 17-year-old male passenger died shortly after being taken to hospital. At the time, they said the 18-year-old male driver remained hospitalized in serious condition.
Later in the day Staff Sgt. Rod Hutter with WPS traffic division told Global News the driver’s condition had stabilized and he is expected to survive.
He said witnesses at the scene have told investigators the car was being driven erratically and at high speeds before losing control and crashing.
Hutter wouldn’t speculate on how fast the car was travelling or say whether investigators believe any other factors played a role in the crash.
“The accident is under investigation,” he said.
“They will be very, very thorough in their reconstruction of this accident and assessing the driver and their state at the time.”
Northbound St. Mary’s Road at Vivian Avenue was expected to remain closed throughout rush hour Wednesday as police remained at the scene.
Hutter said Winnipeg has seen an “alarming” uptick in fatal crashes this year.
He said while the city recorded nine traffic-related deaths in 2021, there have been 30 serious crashes leading to 21 fatalities alrady this year.
“We’re unfortunately, where the trend is going, we could see more,” he said.
“Everyone has to understand that when you’re driving a motor vehicle, it’s thousands of pounds of steel that’s hurtling down the roadway.
“We have speed limits in place to keep people safe, but when you start breaking those, it increases the chances of having a tragic incident like this happen.”
–With files from Marney Blunt and Shane Gibson