Advertisement

14 injured in massive multi-vehicle pileup caused by smoke, fog east of Edmonton

Click to play video: '14 injured in multi-vehicle pileup caused by smoke, fog east of Edmonton'
14 injured in multi-vehicle pileup caused by smoke, fog east of Edmonton
WATCH ABOVE: People involved in a massive pileup east of Edmonton on Friday say the scene was like a war zone. The crash involved dozens of cars and sent 14 people to hospital. As Nicole Stillger reports, it's being blamed on poor visibility from smoke and fog. – May 12, 2023

Fourteen people were taken to hospital after a large multi-vehicle collision on Highway 14 east of Range Road 232 in Strathcona County Friday morning.

The crash involved 34 vehicles, including four semi-trucks, RCMP said. It happened just after 6 a.m.

A woman in her 30s was flown to the University of Alberta Hospital by STARS in critical condition, a spokesperson from STARS said.

According to Alberta Health Services, another woman was transported by EMS to hospital in critical condition. An additional seven men and five women were taken by ground ambulance to hospital in stable condition, AHS said.

RCMP said heavy smoke and fog resulted in multiple collisions on both Highway 21 and Highway 14.

“Visibility in the area is extremely poor due to heavy smoke from the wildfires combined with moisture in the air,” RCMP said in a 6:45 a.m. news release.

Story continues below advertisement
Click to play video: 'Smoke, fog contributes to vehicle pileup on Highway 14 east of Edmonton'
Smoke, fog contributes to vehicle pileup on Highway 14 east of Edmonton

It was clear from the Global 1 helicopter that at least a dozen vehicles, including several large transport trucks, were involved in the Highway 14 pileup.

Chester Mooney and his colleague Kevin Gillespie were on their daily morning commute when they exited Highway 21 and turned west onto Highway 14.

“It was just a river of smoke and fog. It was so thick we couldn’t see beyond the front of the truck,” Mooney recalled.

“We were slowing down to try and match the tail lights in front of us and as we slowed down, one vehicle piled into the back of us and then … one backed into them. It was just: ‘crunch, crunch.’ We could hear all the vehicles piling up.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“It was remarkable how thick it was and how much you could not see.”

Story continues below advertisement
A traffic pileup on Highway 14 east of Edmonton on Friday, May 12, 2023, involved 34 vehicles, RCMP said. Global News

Gillespie remembers the sound vividly.

“We got plowed from behind, a very loud crash followed by another one. Two vehicles actually rear-ended us. The three vehicles are just basically welded together and smashed up.

“Behind us, as we sat, we could hear other vehicles in the distance. It was just a horrific sound because we knew there were bigger trucks.”

“Where do you go?” Gillespie asked. “Should you pull over? Because some people did that. Some people pulled off. We talked to one who did. He swerved off into the ditch and someone T-boned him in the ditch. Where’s the safe place to go?”

A traffic pileup on Highway 14 east of Edmonton on Friday, May 12, 2023, involved 34 vehicles, RCMP said. Courtesy: Chester Mooney

Mooney said emergency crews arrived quickly.

Story continues below advertisement

“We walked away, grateful enough. And as the smoke cleared and lifted, we got to see a lot of everything that did take place. There was somewhere in the region of 20-30 vehicles all piled up. It was definitely a big mess, to say the least.”

“I counted roughly 25 vehicles but there were a few in the ditch,” Gillespie said. “But with the smoke it was hard to see.

“It looked like a war zone. There were vehicles in the ditch, all over the road. There’s pieces of vehicles all over the place, bumpers, glass.”

As of 1 p.m., RCMP said all lanes (east and westbound) of Highway 14 between Range Road 232 and Highway 21 were open again.

Ten vehicles involved in the collision remain on scene and are being removed.

Strathcony County first responders on scene at several multi-vehicle collisions on Highway 21 east of Edmonton on Friday, May 12, 2023. Dave Carels, Global News

Sherwood Park RCMP said another multi-vehicle crash on Highway 21 at Township Road 520 at 6 a.m. involved 12 different vehicles.

Story continues below advertisement

Two drivers were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the other drivers were taken by the county bus to Millennium Place in Strathcona County.

“The cause of the collision is believed to be because of low visibility due to the wildfire smoke and fog,” RCMP said in a news release.

Highway 21 was reopened to traffic as of 11:30 a.m.

Click to play video: 'Wildfire smoke can pose health hazards to those located far distances away'
Wildfire smoke can pose health hazards to those located far distances away

 

Sponsored content

AdChoices