Photo by Vince Fedoroff
HIGH-IMPACT CRASH – An RCMP officer works at the scene of Wednesday’s collision on the Alaska Highway at Burns Road.
Collision triggered prolonged closure of highway
A 48-year-old Whitehorse man is in grave condition
A 48-year-old Whitehorse man is in grave condition after his compact car collided with a transport truck near the airport late Wednesday afternoon, according to Whitehorse RCMP.
He was transported to Whitehorse General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, and was medevaced out of the territory, said Cpl. Natasha Dunmall.
He underwent emergency surgery.
She could not say immediately where the man was sent.
At about 4:53 p.m. Wednesday, police, EMS, the Whitehorse Fire Department and Whitehorse bylaw officers responded to the collision, reported at the Alaska Highway and Burns Road.
In a news release this morning, the RCMP said a Kenworth tractor trailer was northbound on the highway when it collided with a Toyota Yaris.
Witnesses said the truck was driving within the speed limit and had the right of way when the car moved into the northbound lane, causing the collision.
Platoon chief Barry Blisner said firefighters didn’t have to use the jaws of life to remove the man from the car. He was the sole occupant.
“He was T-boned, so we were able to help EMS get him out without having to cut into the car or anything like that,” Blisner said.
The truck driver was not injured.
The highway was closed for several hours while the RCMP’s collision analyst and reconstructionist worked on scene.
The incident is still under investigation.
Alcohol and driving conditions are not considered to be factors, said police.
No other details were available before press time this afternoon.
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Comments (24)
Up 1 Down 0
John Stender( Driver of the semi in the accident) on Mar 2, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Very unfortunate this situation transpired, I helped attend to the driver in the Yaris car, until EMS showed up. My heart felt sorrows for the individual and family, I hope everyone involved finds solace of heart and the family of driver a community of support.
Up 6 Down 3
Crush and sell on Jun 3, 2015 at 8:23 am
I noticed that the tank farm owners have punched a road down from their "remediation project" down to Burns Rd. again, after closing it last summer. Despite assurances to assessors and regulators and concerned citizens that the Tank Farm would not become a gravel quarry and that no new roads would be built in or out of the Tank Farm (this is written in Yukon Government's own Decision Document), last summer, several gravel trucks an hour were using Burns Rd. to haul gravel out of the Tank Farm for City projects (Black St., Range Rd.), making this intersection and stretch of highway even more dangerous. YESAA is a sad joke and so are our regulators. Quite hypocritical of the City to require traffic studies, feasibility studies etc. for projects its staff doesn't like but ignoring major hazards and the law when it wants to get its hands on some cheap dirt. Pathetic.
Up 6 Down 4
north_of_60 on Jun 2, 2015 at 4:13 pm
@WoB
I was speaking to stupid mistakes people make regardless of highway upgrades, and YOU and you alone chose to twist that against the victim, in effect calling them stupid. Speak for yourself don't 'interpret and twist the words of others to flog your agenda.
Up 28 Down 10
WestofBelfast on Jun 1, 2015 at 9:04 pm
North of 60: Unless you have some intimate and inside knowledge of what happened at this accident you should do the right thing and keep your opinion to yourself in terms of name calling...especially when it comes to someone who is severely injured and has a family that is likely torn apart right now due to the accident.
Up 21 Down 22
north_of_60 on Jun 1, 2015 at 2:50 pm
@AskAlberta " If there were four lanes or a light this accident more likely would not have taken place. Sure it's people taking risks because they are placed in a risky situation."
No Alberta, stupid people still take risks and make stupid mistakes, it's human nature. That's why the Darwin Awards exist.
'Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.' -- George Carlin
Up 38 Down 29
BNR you question good one thanks for asking. on Jun 1, 2015 at 11:06 am
What the $50 million dollars is spent for is to reduce risk of accidents. If there were four lanes or a light this accident more likely would not have taken place. Sure it's people taking risks because they are placed in a risky situation. Making highway and roads safe is very important like have good policing, health care.
I have seen this before in other parts and also seen the results. Anything we can do to make sure highways are safe is good.
Those intersections by the airport are dangerous when entering from the south side. There has been people killed and harmed on that piece of road.
Whitehorse has and will continue to grow as the economy moves forward and we need to get ahead of the growth not do it after the fact.
Ask Alberta.
Up 12 Down 13
SafetyCheck on Jun 1, 2015 at 6:58 am
All that traffic entering and exiting the highway there and the solution is to put in more lanes and up the speed limit. Even with 4 lanes if you are making a turn on to the Alaska Highway you are going to have a flat intersection with 2, not 1, lanes to cross. How about as an interim measure drop the speed limit there to 50 Km and, god forbid, have it enforced. What will happen after spending all that money on an upgrade will be someone deciding it's too dangerous and then up goes a stop light. All the time savings and smooth traffic flow we were promised will be spent waiting at a stop light. Of course people will treat it as a drag racing exercise when they're not running the red light.
Up 20 Down 12
JC you and others don't undertand safe highway purposes on May 31, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Combination of higher traffic volumes, old road design, increase of truck traffic plus creates high risk level for accidents. They are not spending $200 to up grade this piece of highway but $50 million and 20 years down the road will mean more will have to be spent.
For example, if this road was divided at this intersection then this accident would have not taken place.
Up 48 Down 49
Just Say'in on May 30, 2015 at 12:32 pm
This accident had absolutely nothing to do with the number of lanes or the intersection. He for some reason decided to do a uturn in the middle of the highway directly in the way of an oncoming Tractor Trailer. No road will stop someone from doing something stupid.
Up 44 Down 10
mad max on May 29, 2015 at 4:35 pm
I was there, and people there said the toyota driver decided to do a U turn on the highway.
Up 44 Down 60
Jim Lahey on May 29, 2015 at 3:28 pm
Yes, it's the roads fault. Spend $200 million for some feel good safety. Give me a break. People refuse to pay attention, period. Look at today's cars. Shoulder check? Nope. Technology will cover that. Someone passing you? Technology again. Parallel parking? That's a test they make you do for your driving test? Nope, the car will do it by itself. It's actually downright scary. If you can't pay attention when driving then its no ones fault but your own If you cause an accident. If you can't parallel park without the use of technology then you don't belong on the road. Period.
Up 46 Down 29
Dick on May 29, 2015 at 2:25 pm
I worked at Burns Rd/Alaska Hwy for 10 years. That intersection is super dangerous. There needs to be a traffic light there. Colleagues refused to enter the Alaska Hwy from Burns Rd. Not only do you have drivers going well over the speed limit of 70km/hr on that stretch of the Alaska Hwy, but you also have traffic exiting the airport. It is especially dangerous in the winter when roads are icy.
Up 95 Down 11
Kim Berkey on May 29, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Assigning blame is easy. If it was the condition of the highway or lack of lanes or driver error is of little consequence to the family or transport driver. This man and his family need the communities support and prayers, not your judgment. The time to fight for highway improvements was before this accident. Let the family deal with this before you turn on him or the government.
By all means, when the time is appropriate do fight for your tax dollars to be used for you and your loved ones safety. Let all involved heal without your finger pointing. This will not help anyone. Love one another and do unto others as you would have done unto you. What would you need if your life partner was fighting for their life? Those without fault of making a mistake please remain calm while the rest of us deal with it appropriately. If the transport driver cared enough to attend to the man till help arrived the people living in this community can now step up and show the family the loving respect they need so very much right now.
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Does anyone see a safe pull out lane on May 29, 2015 at 11:34 am
Does anyone see a safe pull out lane?
Up 88 Down 62
Wilf Carter on May 29, 2015 at 8:44 am
I have worked highway/road construction and this highway needs to be upgraded for safety and health reason. Exiting and entering is dangerous.
This highway is over 70 years old and the accidents are not the result of people but has a higher level of traffic and more risks are taken causing the accident.
Talk to the planners who do the work and get the facts before talking. The accidents will continue to increase if there is nothing done about this piece of road.
Up 66 Down 20
BnR on May 28, 2015 at 5:47 pm
Wilf, what is your deal anyhow. Running for the YP at the next election?
One minute you are going in about governments wasting money, and the next you are supporting the needless expenditure of money. How is the hiway unsafe or "unhealthy"(??). Red car crosses the center line, plows into a B train, and you take the opportunity to bash everyone but the YP?
How will twinning the hiway make it safer? Please tell us how your vast experience in everything leads you to this inane conclusion?
Up 73 Down 83
Jonathan Colby on May 28, 2015 at 5:44 pm
SDD, Wilf Carter,
This intersection is navigated successfully hundreds, if not thousands of times per day. There is nothing inherently unsafe about it. The Yaris quite obviously misjudged the situation, for whatever reason. Stop hyping the corridor expansion. It is a giant waste of money.
Up 69 Down 17
north_of_60 on May 28, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Inexperienced, inattentive, aggressive, risk-taking drivers cause accidents. That stunt would have resulted in an accident on any road.
Upgrading the highway to a four-lane, four-mile, freeway-to-nowhere won't reduce accidents. Stupid drivers will prevail. We can't make the world idiot proof, human nature always provides a better faster idiot.
Up 34 Down 43
Just wondering on May 28, 2015 at 5:11 pm
From just wondering accounts that this car seems to be the one passing other traffic.
If there were two lanes of traffic then, this car could have passed the other auto's, trucks much more safely.
This is an example of this piece of Alaska Highway showing it is not safe or healthy.
The Alaska highway was constructed in the 1940's now it is 2015.
Up 108 Down 81
Wilf Carter look Mayor, NDP and Liberals on May 28, 2015 at 4:50 pm
Mayor, NDP and Liberals - do you support this highway that is not safe or healthy?
Up 37 Down 47
Just wondering on May 28, 2015 at 4:33 pm
I wonder if this is the same person who tried to pass multiple vehicles on the 5km stretch and missed a marked police cruiser by inches when the three of us (myself being passed, the red Yaris and the police cruiser) all had to move to accommodate the little car on a very small (but blind) hill approx halfway down the 5km stretch heading into town.
Don't believe me? Go check it out for yourself on the 5km stretch. It blew us away that he was trying to pass there and again with who he almost hit.
Up 143 Down 9
not the highway on May 28, 2015 at 4:31 pm
SDD
It's not the highway that causes accidents, It's the drivers. It's very unfortunate this man had to find out the hard way. I wish all the best to this man and his family.
Up 120 Down 54
YTer on May 28, 2015 at 4:23 pm
SDD
Then by your rationale, safety lies in 4 lane highways, which is clearly not the case. Bigger highways, bigger accidents. Paying attention prevents accidents. Period.
Up 141 Down 123
SDD on May 28, 2015 at 3:14 pm
This is partly why we need to fix the Alaska Highway corridor - it's not safe.