An Edson man is dead and two others were taken to hospital following a fatal crash on Highway 16 near Talbot Lake on Monday.

At 6 a.m. a pick-up truck driving westbound drifted into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with a semi-truck about 30 kilometres east of Jasper, near Talbot Lake, according to Jasper RCMP.

Two occupants in the semi truck were taken to Hinton hospital with what the RCMP said were non-life threatening injuries, while the driver of the pick-up truck was reported dead on scene.

RCMP Constable Roy Kennedy said that there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were a factor, although the investigation is still ongoing. “I think the primary issue was the head-on collision,” he said, as the police are investigating the role speed and potential sleepiness of the driver may have played. While bighorn sheep are commonly spotted near the accident site, Cst. Kennedy said there was no evidence wildlife played a role in the collision.

In relatively clear road conditions, the pick-up truck seemed to drift into the path of the transport truck. “That’s a question that only he has the answer to, and he’s not around to tell why he ended up in the wrong lane of traffic,” Cst. Kennedy said.

RCMP say the driver of the pickup truck was in his late twenties and from the Edson area. His name has not yet been released to allow time for the family to be notified.

Because of the fatality, RCMP had to wait for a collision analyst to arrive and the highway was closed on Highway 16 from 6 a.m. until noon on the holiday Monday. Many holiday travelers had to make detours or wait on either the Hinton or Jasper side of the scene.

Debris was still strewn about the highway at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

“We were fortunate, the circumstances allowed us to use a collision analyst from Hinton this time, which sped up the process,” said Kennedy. “I think the fact that it happened so early, it wasn’t as bad. We got it open around lunchtime. The traffic was heavy, but it was handled really well by Parks Canada and by our partners in Hinton.”

A high number of vehicle accidents from Thursday (Oct. 8) through to the holiday Monday kept emergency response teams in the area busy leading to the fatality and multiple highway closures.

Other traffic incidents over the weekend included over 16 accidents on Thursday (Oct. 8) alone in Jasper National Park, according to RCMP. Thursday also saw one of the first significant snowfalls of the year, resulting in bad driving conditions.

On the Icefields Parkway, an eight-car pileup also closed the Highway 93 South near Bow Lake.

Cst. Kennedy is reminding motorists to stop and take breaks when driving, and to ensure vehicles are in proper working order.

“With the early onset of winter, it’s appropriate to begin using winter tires,” Cst. Kennedy said. 

(With files from Justin Brisbane)