A 47-year-old Huxley man is dead after he ran a stop sign and struck an SUV driven by a 60-year-old Trochu woman 26 km northwest of Three Hills on Tuesday afternoon, police say.
The truck driven by the Huxley man was engulfed in flames when other motorists came upon the scene. He was able to get out of the truck, but died of injuries at the scene.
The Trochu woman was taken by ambulance to Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre with non-life threatening injuries. She remained on Wednesday.
The identity of either person has not been released by the Three Hills RCMP, who responded to the scene along with the Trochu Fire Department and Alberta Health Services.
Three Hills RCMP officer Const. Robert Harms said it is unclear why the Huxley man ran the stop sign at the intersection of Range Road 251 and Township Road 332, as road conditions and weather did not play a role in the accident. He was going an estimated 60 km/h when he was T-boned by the SUV on the passenger side, the speed limit on that stretch of road is 80 km/h.
“We came to the conclusion that the vehicle that ran the stop sign was travelling at a significant speed. We also believe that person is familiar with that road,” said Harms. “So why the individual ran the stop sign still remains to be seen.”
It is also unknown why the truck caught fire, as well if it burst into flames or slowly caught fire.
The investigation into the collision continues.
No charges are pending.
jaldrich@www.reddeeradvocate.com