MILLET — RCMP have identified the Mountie who was killed Tuesday in a traffic accident while on duty south of Edmonton.
Dead is Const. James Lundblad of the RCMP traffic unit based in Camrose.
Police said Lundblad died at the scene after his marked patrol car was hit by a grain truck at about 10 a.m. on Highway 2A near Millet.
“This sudden and tragic death is a sobering reminder of the dangers police and peace officers face every day when they put on their uniforms, say goodbye to their families and walk out the door,” Alberta Solicitor General Fred Lindsay said in a release.
“Everyday, RCMP members and police officers across this province put themselves at risk in the line of duty to protect and serve Albertans.”
Police said Lundblad’s car was struck while he was making a u-turn to intercept another vehicle.
The driver of the grain truck was not physically injured.
Lundblad had served 7 1/2 years with RCMP, including a posting in Edson, Alta.
Premier Ed Stelmach also expressed his condolences.
Lundblad is the fifth Mountie to die on Alberta roads in the past few years.
On July 4, 2005, Const. Jose Agostinho was killed when his patrol car was rammed by a transport truck south of Edmonton.
Const. Joseph Maurice died on June 10, 2003, while conducting traffic enforcement near Sherwood Park just east of Edmonton.
RCMP Supt. Dennis Massey was killed in Calgary on Dec, 18., 2002, when a propane truck trailer landed on his car. In March of the same year Const. Christine Diotte died when her vehicle crashed while investigating an accident near Banff.
The collision that killed Lundblad remains under investigation.