Fatal Collision Closes Hwy 5

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. -  It must have been horrific for a witness calling Clearwater RCMP to report a possible impaired driver yesterday afternoon...

Clearwater Corporal Chris Newel says the original report came in at 2:47pm.  He says two minutes later, a Clearwater traffic services member was speaking with the complainant in an attempt to get an updated location, when the person reported that the vehicle had just crossed the centre line and ran into a tanker truck.

Newel says the RCMP, B.C. Ambulance Service and members of the Blackpool Fire Department rushed to the scene of the crash on Highway 5, just south of Clearwater.

The driver and lone occupant of a black SUV bearing Alberta plates was killed instantly in the collision.  The driver of the commercial tanker truck received minor injuries. 

Corporal Newel says the northbound trunk was empty at the time of the collision, but it had previously been loaded with ammonia nitrate and fire fighters foamed the truck as a precautionary measure -- no leaks were detected and there was just a residual amount of the chemical left in the truck.

The highway, which runs south from Valemount to Kamloops, was completely closed at the accident scene for several hours and was then opened to single-lane alternating traffic in the evening.  Anyone planning to travel the route can check on www.drivebc.ca for the most up to date information.

Police plan to release an update once the driver has been identified and next of kin notified.

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