Slick conditions and heavy winds wreaked havoc for commuters on Wednesday throughout Central Alberta.
Rimbey Fire Rescue, RCMP and EMS responded to a single-vehicle rollover into a field just east of the town around 4 a.m.
The occupants of the truck, two young men, had walked to a farm house just up the road for shelter when police arrived.
They were taken to Rimbey Hospital and Care Centre via ambulance in stable condition with minor injuries and were released by Wednesday afternoon.
While the roads were icy and high winds were gusting at the time of the rollover, police are investigating, said Const. Tyler Hagel of Rimbey RCMP.
“There was rum, a case of beer inside the vehicle — open alcohol inside the vehicle,” Hagel said.
The incident occurred on Township Road 424 and Range Road 20, which had been recently plowed, Hagel said.
The field the truck plunged into made for a challenge in getting the truck out, due to deep snow, said Rimbey fire chief John Weisgerber.
Rimbey emergency services were called out again, just before noon, to an accident along Hwy 20.
With winds roaring at 100 to 120 km/h, a northbound pickup truck hit a sheet of black ice and went into the east ditch.
“About three minutes later, the same thing happened. A semi truck, also northbound, was pulled into the ditch and he rear-ended the back of the pickup that was already there,” Hagel said.
Hagel said the truck driver estimates he was going around 50 km/h.
One woman, the lone occupant of the pickup, was taken to hospital but is in stable condition.
The woman had removed her seatbelt to get her phone after hitting the ditch and then slammed her head into the dash from the impact of the semi. The truck driver was uninjured.
“I work in traffic and collisions and this is one of the very few times that you can actually state this is an accident and not an collision,” Hagel said.
Hagel said the truck driver estimates he was going around 50 km/h.
One woman, the lone occupant of the pickup, was taken to hospital but is in stable condition.
The woman had removed her seatbelt to get her phone after hitting the ditch and then slammed her head into the dash from the impact of the semi.
The truck driver was uninjured.
“I work in traffic and collisions and this is one of the very few times that you can actually state this is an accident and not an collision,” Hagel said.
Environment Canada issued a wind warning for Red Deer and area Wednesday morning and travel around Rimbey on Wednesday was not recommended. “If you’re out in the open, the wind catches. The wind is bringing the temperature down and so you get a polishing affect on the highway surfaces, especially as the highway was plowed down, coupled with the rain we had Tuesday night. That makes a layer of ice that makes cars go like curling rocks,” Hagel said.
rfrancoeur@www.reddeeradvocate.com