A Calgary man was taken to hospital after a two-vehicle head-on collision on Highway 27, about one mile east of town on Oct. 3.
The male was driving an older model motorhome west towards Sundre when he crossed over the centre line and veered into the left lane, according to witnesses.
A Partco semi truck driven by a Sundre man was travelling eastbound when he saw the vehicle coming his way and drove into the ditch in an effort to avoid the motorhome.
The motorhome collided with the left side of the front end of the semi, tipped onto its passenger side and shortly after went up in flames.
The motorhome was hardly recognizable after members of the Sundre Fire Department extinguished the flames.
“All we can see of it is an older model motorhome,” said Sundre RCMP Const. Matt Floyd on scene, when asked what type of vehicle it was.
Both Sundre and Olds emergency services attended the collision.
“Upon arrival on scene, RCMP members assisted Sundre and Olds EMS with a severely injured male that had been pulled from the now burning wreckage by other witnesses on scene,” he said.
At the scene, the victim was crying out in pain and was immediately surrounded by emergency personnel who snipped pieces of his clothing off and loaded him into an ambulance on a stretcher.
It is undetermined at this point what caused the driver to veer into the left lane, according to Floyd.
“At this time, neither alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision. Road and environmental matters have also been ruled out,” he said Friday.
“It (the motorhome) started veering left in the oncoming lane and it collided head-on after the eastbound transport truck tried to avoid it,” he explained.
Debris from the motorhome was all over the road and in the ditches. Highway 27 was completely shut down for about an hour and a half. Emergency personnel attended the scene from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and had one lane open for the majority of that period.
Passersby were commenting on how they couldn't decipher where the front end of the motorhome was. Tires and parts of the motor home were scattered, including a bag of Lays ketchup chips that had been inside of the motorhome.
The driver of the semi was in shock but did not suffer from any injuries. He declined to comment on the situation.
“The driver of the semi did not receive any injuries as a result of wearing his seatbelt and driving in an educated, defensive manner,” said Floyd.
The drivers were the only occupants in each vehicle.
A Carstairs man who witnessed the accident declined to be named, but said the motorhome lit on fire not long after the driver was out of the vehicle. He was behind the RV and saw it tip onto its passenger side.
“I saw the RV move over to the oncoming traffic and hit the semi. I put my brakes on and went through the ditch to get around it. There was someone behind me that stopped and was able to get out of his vehicle quicker than me and was able to pull the guy out.”
Witnesses Larry and Carol Smith said they were in the second vehicle behind the motorhome.
“We saw stuff flying everywhere and flames,” said Carol, at the scene.
Larry said he was surprised the semi didn't tip over onto its side and that the driver handled the situation extremely well.
“He was able to coast. He's a good driver,” said Floyd on scene. RCMP members are still investigating the cause of the accident.
He said the victim will most likely be in the hospital for a while.
“With the winter months coming, the RCMP is asking members of the public to continue being vigilant and defensive in their driving in order to ensure safe roads and highways for others.”
