Morrin, Alta. — Gawkers watching the raging waters of the Red Deer River have triggered a chain-reaction collision that killed a truck driver.
A retired RCMP officer and his wife were also hurt in the Monday night crash, which sent the semi-trailer into the flood-swollen river where it was swept away.
RCMP say the truck was travelling along Highway 27 toward the Morrin Bridge at the speed limit of 100 kilometres an hour when it came over a hill.
But cars had slowed down because there were so many people gathered on the bridge to look at the river.
The driver of the truck desperately dodged several cars before hitting one, then flying through two girders and plunging into the murky water.
Divers were called to the scene, but it was decided that it was too risky to send them into the river since officials didn't know where the truck was.
“If people weren't standing on the bridge, this wouldn't have happened,” said RCMP Corporal J'Nell Perkins.
The driver of the truck was presumed dead. The retired RCMP officer did not appear to have serious injuries but his wife may have struck her head. Both were airlifted to hospital in nearby Three Hills and later transferred to Calgary.
Corporal Perkins said the accident put a strain on emergency personnel who have been working at full capacity for many days, dealing with the situation in nearby Drumheller where 25 homes were flooded Monday night and more than 3,000 of the community's 8,000 residents were evacuated.
“Obviously it makes it quite difficult, with emergency personnel having to come and deal with this,” she said, noting at least half a dozen police cars on the scene and others down the road manning roadblocks.
“We have a lot of issues in Drumheller that need attention. People standing on bridges and standing where they shouldn't be creates a bigger problem for us. It's been three days, a lot of people are tired out. This isn't helping.”
The Morrin Bridge was an eerie scene Monday night, with part of the truck's axle still hanging from the bridge and pieces of twisted metal strewn about. Corporal Perkins said it will likely have to be closed for a couple of weeks.
She also said recovering the body of the truck driver may take some time, as it will be done with the safety of rescuers in mind.
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