An RCMP officer is in a Calgary hospital recovering from head and facial injuries suffered in a rollover crash near Banff early Tuesday.
Investigators said the officer, whose name wasn’t released, was trying to pull over a car on the Trans-Canada Highway just before 4 a.m. when she lost control of her marked cruiser near the Norquay turnoff just west of Banff.
The fleeing car fit the description of an Audi sedan reported stolen from Banff the previous day, but it sped away in the westbound lanes without stopping for the officer.
"There was no pursuit declared — she was trying to catch up with the vehicle," said RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb.
Moments before the crash, the officer had radioed an update to dispatch, so another cruiser was on its way when the crash happened and came upon the scene moments after, Webb said.
The officer, a junior member with less than two years on the job, was taken by ambulance to Foothills Hospital in Calgary, where she is in stable condition with cuts and bruises.
Investigators have turned their attention to finding a group of three hitchhikers who were spotted in the area between 5:30 and 6 a.m.
The group was walking east on the Trans-Canada between the Sunshine turnoff and the Bow River bridge, about eight kilometres west of the scene.
"Judging by where they were, and the time they were there, at the very least they’re witnesses," Webb said.
Since officers weren’t able to find the hitchhikers, police believe a motorist picked them up.
Investigators would also like to speak to that person, said Webb.
Investigators are also still searching for a white Audi A4 wagon stolen from Banff sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, with Alberta licence plate CES 931.
Without the Audi or the hitchhikers, police can’t say whether they’re related to the collision — or to each other.
"We’re trying to sort out how things fit together," Webb said.
jvanrassel@theherald.canwest.com
Comments