Preliminary evidence gathered by Manitoba RCMP suggests the four-vehicle collision that killed a man in his 20s and seriously injured another on the Perimeter Highway early Tuesday was likely caused by speeding.
Three pickup trucks and a semi-trailer crashed at the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 101 at about 12:35 a.m. Tuesday. The first pickup truck made contact with another truck while the three pickups were travelling westbound on Highway 15.
The crash caused the second pickup truck to hit the third one, and both went through the intersection.
The driver of the first pickup was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second pickup driver was hospitalized.
The semi-trailer had been stopped at a red light in the southbound lane of the Perimeter Highway, said RCMP.
On Wednesday, RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said Mounties are still gathering further information about how fast the vehicles were travelling, but investigators believe speed was a factor.
“Based on the officers speaking with the other two drivers, it would appear that the deceased driver had come from behind them at a very high rate of speed,” said Manaigre.
“We don’t know how fast the other two were going but if this is correct, that would explain how the second truck was clipped if he wasn’t able to control his truck.”
The semi-trailer driver, a 69-year-old who wasn’t hurt, also told RCMP that he saw the truck that hit him going at a “very high rate of speed.”
“Our traffic analyst will be examining the data from each of the vehicles to see if that (speed) information can be retrieved,” said Manaigre.
“Hopefully they’ll be able to get better info from each of the vehicles in order to get a better picture of what took place.”
The Oakbank RCMP detachment is leading the investigation. Officers from multiple detachments, as well as the Winnipeg Police Service, responded to the collision.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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