A collision between a tractor trailer and an SUV in Alberta has claimed the lives of three children from the same family although their parents are expected to survive.

Emergency crews responded to a report of a serious two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 36 and Highway 570, south of Hanna, Alta., located approximately 220 kilometres east of Calgary, at approximately 5:45 p.m. local time Wednesday.

A 16-year-old girl, 11-year-old boy and an infant who were travelling in the SUV with their parents were pronounced dead at the scene. RCMP Cpl. Laurel Scott said the family is from Washington State, though the reason the family was driving in Alberta is currently unknown.

The children’s parents were taken to hospitals in stable, non-life threatening condition, according to EMS officials. The 32-year-old mother was airlifted to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary by STARS Air Ambulance. The 44-year-old father was taken to a hospital in Brooks by ground ambulance and then transferred to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary.

The 54-year-old male driver of the semi-truck was transported to hospital with minor injuries.

Crash analysts are investigating to determine the cause of the crash, according to the Hanna RCMP.

“Early investigation suggests that an SUV travelling westbound on Highway 570 collided with a semi-tractor trailer unit travelling southbound on Highway 36,” the RCMP said in a news release. The tractor trailer had pushed the SUV into a ditch.

Locals told CTV Calgary that they believe the intersection where the crash occurred is dangerous.

“They don’t realize that there’s a stop sign and there’s a highway here,” said Hanna resident Karen Gordon.

“Maybe they need to start putting signs back a mile, maybe they need to put a big arch over it with flashing lights, so that trucks can get under. There has to be some solution.”

Footage from the scene showed the family’s SUV lying in a ditch against a barbed wire fence while the semi-trailer was stopped just past a stop sign on Highway 36.

The identities of the deceased have not been released.

With files from CTV Calgary and CTV Edmonton