Heavy fog spelled disaster on a local highway this weekend, leading to two separate, yet related fatal crashes west of Morinville.
The first accident happened early Sunday morning, around 7:30 a.m. when a cattle hauler struck a pickup truck broadside, causing the pickup to burst into flames.
The pickup was travelling westbound on Highway 642, crossing the intersection at Highway 44 when it was hit by the transport truck, which was headed north.
Two hours later, at 9:15 a.m., as the investigation continued at the site of the first crash, a male employee of Carillion Canada Inc., who was directing traffic around the first crash, was struck by a vehicle headed south on Highway 44.
The employee was talking to a stopped motorist when another vehicle came up behind it and swerved, hitting him.
An ambulance, already nearby, rushed to the scene of the second accident, but the 50-year-old Cardiff man was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. His identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
Staff Sgt. Mac Richards, head of the Morinville detachment, said the flagman who was killed directing traffic had placed pylons on the road, wore a reflective vest and had lights on his vehicle.
The identity of the first crash victim is pending positive identification from the medical examiner.
Richards said drivers have to slow down in foggy conditions.
“You have to just slow down,” he said. “It is going to take you longer to get where you are going — you can only see what you can see, and you have to drive [based on] that.”
Richards said it is common sense to slow down and drive according to the conditions.
“You can only drive for what you can see.”
The RCMP is looking for witnesses of the second collision. Anyone who might have stopped where the Carillion employee was directing traffic should call the detachment at 780-939-4550.
