A 12-year veteran of the Canadian military was killed last week in a traffic accident just outside the Edmonton Garrison.
Master Cpl. Don Pike, 35, was killed on June 16 after the pick-up truck he was driving rolled several times near 195th Avenue and 66th Street just inside Sturgeon County’s borders.
Staff Sgt. Mac Richards with the Morinville RCMP said it appears the vehicle entered the ditch while it was trying to get around other vehicles.
“The vehicle was pulling out to pass other vehicles on 195th Avenue, hit the ditch and rolled the vehicle.”
Richards said the investigation is continuing, but police do not believe Pike was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Emergency crews, RCMP and military police all attended the accident scene, but Pike was declared deceased at the scene.
Even though Pike was the only person involved in the crash they will still work through the investigation to determine exactly what took place, Richards said.
“We are still going to have to find out what happened,” he said. “At the end of the day likely no charges will be laid, but we still have to discover the cause of the accident.”
Pike was a member of the First Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry stationed at the garrison. He was deployed three times over the length of his career, first to Kosovo in 1999, then Bosnia in 2002 to 2003 and Afghanistan in 2006.
In a statement released to the press, Lt.-Col. Jerry Walsh, Pike’s commanding officer, said the soldier would be greatly missed.
“Pike was a dedicated, outspoken and well respected soldier. His sudden death is a tragic loss to the battalion.”
Pike was scheduled to return to Afghanistan this fall along with a sizeable contingent of other officers from Princess Patricia’s as part of the upcoming deployment.
