In late afternoon traffic on Winnipeg Perimeter Hwy, an eastbound traffic pile-up involved five vehicles.
At about 5:00 p.m. Jan. 28, an RCMP Traffic Services officer was on patrol when he saw a collision that had just occurred in the eastbound lanes of the Perimeter Highway at Pipeline Road. He immediately called for assistance; a 911 call was also received by the RCMP Operational Communications Centre. When the officer pulled up to the scene, traffic was starting to back up and there was debris all over the roadway.
It was observable on scene that an SUV had been struck from behind, which caused the SUV to strike a transit van, which then struck a car, which hit a pickup truck. A semi was parked on the shoulder approximately 20 metres from the collision scene, and witnesses reported the semi was involved in the collision as well. As the officer was checking on people involved in the collision, the semi started to drive away. The semi turned south onto Pipeline Road.
The officer got in his vehicle and initiated a traffic stop on the semi. The driver was arrested for Failing to Remain at the Scene of a Collision.
An investigation has determined that the four vehicles that were hit were stopped at the traffic light at Pipeline Road when the SUV was struck by the semi, causing a chain reaction that then included the van, car and pickup truck being struck.
The 57-year-old female driver of the SUV, from the RM of St. Andrews, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The 48-year-old male driver of the van, from Selkirk, was not seriously injured. The 25-year-old male driver of the car, from East St. Paul, was not injured, but he did have a suspended licence and will receive a ticket for that offence.
The 26-year-old male driver of the semi, from Winnipeg, has been charged with several Highway Traffic Act offences and a Serious Offence Notice at this time. Further charges under the Criminal Code may be considered.
