Crash Involving Propane Truck Kills One Near BC-Alberta Border

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Prince George, B.C. - Road conditions are believed to be a contributing factor in a spectacular crash involving three commercial vehicles, that claimed one life near the B.C.-Alberta border late last night.

The RCMP's North District Traffic Services NCO, Sergeant Pat McTiernan, says a propane truck traveling westbound, into B.C., collided with two eastbound transport trucks on Highway 16-East, about 10-kilometres east of the border.

McTiernan says the propane truck collided with the first transport truck in a head-on, side-swipe crash.  "The second truck collided with the carnage that occurred after the collision and he went off the highway and over the bank."  The driver of the propane truck was killed instantly.  The driver of the first transport truck involved suffered critical injuries.  McTiernan says the weather conditions made it impossible for a helicopter to get down to the crash site, so the injured man had to be transported 380-kilometres by ground to the University of Alberta hospital in Edmonton.  "Those first few hours are critical, so we're waiting for an update on him."

Miraculously, the driver of the second transport did not suffer any injuries, despite going over an embankment.

"Everybody can appreciate that the scene was probably devastating because it involved three large vehicles," says Sergeant McTiernan.  Emergency technicians were called out to deal with leaking propane on the scene.  The truck's tank was fully emptied this morning. "We had a five-man crash team working there last night with a collision re-constructionist," says McTiernan.  "A commercial vehicle safety standards unit from Prince George also attended and assisted us in that investigation."

"One of the issues we've that we have to deal with is, of course, the fact that we have this weather front coming in and if they don't get on it as soon as they can they're going to get caught under 20- to 30-centimetres of snow, so everybody is working against the clock," he adds.  "(We're) making sure the motoring public is safe, but also critical in nature, is making sure that our guys working the scene are safe."

The highway is once again open to single lane, alternating traffic, but the RCMP spokesperson says it will be restricted for some time.

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