A fiery crash in Hinton that claimed the life of two men is under investigation by the province’s independent investigator.

The province’s serious incident response team is investigating the RCMP’s actions in the accident.

“Were looking at the actions of the RCMP to determine if they were justified,” said Clifton Purvis, executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). He said every officer involved in the incident will be interviewed.

ASIRT is investigating to see if the RCMP was warranted in embarking on a high speed chase, which claimed the life of the two men.

Purvis said he has unfettered access to police records, and the pursuit was recorded by cameras on the police cars.

Police chases have been curtailed by many jurisdictions due to the high rate of injuries associated with the actions. In the U.S., according to police pursuit experts, about 40 per cent of police chases end in injury, and one per cent end in death.

On Nov. 19 at about 5 p.m., a minivan was seen driving erratically near the east gates by Jasper RCMP. The RCMP vehicle flashed its lights, but the minivan didn’t stop. The car was not pursued, however Hinton RCMP were contacted, as the minivan was travelling east. According to RCMP, the vehicle was speeding, but not endangering the lives of other drivers.

Police later discovered the minivan was stolen.

As the minivan entered Hinton, two RCMP officers tried to stop the vehicle. Once again, the minivan failed to stop, and instead it swerved into oncoming traffic as the police began to pursue the vehicle. The minivan sped eastward in the westbound lane of Highway 16 through Hinton, narrowly avoiding collisions. Hinton RCMP began a high speed chase, remaining in the eastbound lane, and contacted a hazardous pursuit co-ordinator in Edmonton to assist with the chase.

However by the time the minivan hit the hill leaving Hinton, still in the westbound lane, disaster proved imminent. A truck and another vehicle crested the hill and appeared to be on a direct collision course with the minivan. The first vehicle avoided collision, but the second, a truck, was struck head-on. The minivan burst into flames, and RCMP officers struggled to remove the driver of the pick-up from the vehicle. However a large explosion prevented those efforts, and both the minivan and the truck were soon engulfed in flames.

The Edmonton Journal reports the name of the man in the truck as Brad Kerfoot, 30, from Leduc. He is described as an oil patch worker.

The name of the 21-year old mini van driver has yet to be released, as the medical examiner has yet to determine his identity.

Purvis said there is no timeline associated with the report. Once the findings are released, other actions can occur. RCMP spokesman Patrick Webb said if there is political will, a public inquiry could be called to investigate the incident further.