Hwy. 16 collision claims two, injures three

A tragic collision on Hwy. 16 west of Jasper last Friday claimed the lives of two and sent three others to hospital.

The road was closed about 32 km west of the townsite for about five hours on Jan. 30 as emergency crews responded to the crash. 

Two occupants of one vehicle were found dead on the scene, and the three occupants of the other vehicle were transported to Jasper by ambulance. One of the three was then airlifted from Hinton to Edmonton, and the other two were transported to Edmonton by ambulance.

Information about the ages and genders of those involved in the crash, where they were from and headed, and what caused the accident, was not available at press time.

The Jasper Fire Department responded shortly after 11 a.m., said fire chief Greg Van Tighem. The two small cars involved struck one another in a t-bone collision, he said, and because emergency crews found them quite close together, it was clear the impact was blunt.

“Everything was absorbed in the initial impact, that’s when damage is more severe,” he said.

Though he couldn’t confirm the cause of the crash, Van Tighem said it was a damp day as snow melted in the warm temperatures. “When we were on scene the road conditions weren’t severe, they were wet,” he said.

The stretch of highway between Jasper and Valemount has a deadly history. Just over a month ago, in December, two people were killed when their car collided with a minivan, and last July, three members of a NB family died in a six-vehicle crash.

“Obviously that stretch of road we have had numerous accidents on. It’s going through a mountain pass and it’s winter and conditions change rapidly,” Van Tighem said. “It’s winter and you always have to be aware of winter driving conditions.”