Fatal crash outside Black Diamond claims driver, sends three to hospital

Emergency crews stand next to a severely damaged car following Saturday night's fatal crash on Highway 7 east of Black DIamond

A Saturday evening head-on crash on Highway 7 east of the town of Black Diamond has claimed the life of a 35-year-old woman.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., members of the Turner Valley and Okotoks RCMP detachments responded to a section of the highway following reports a westbound car had been seen swerving into oncoming traffic. Several minutes later, the suspect car was involved in a head-on collision with a minivan near the intersection of Highway 7 and 112 Street.

The lone occupant of the car, a 35-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the crash scene. RCMP have not released the identity of the deceased.

The driver of the minivan, a man in his early seventies, was trapped in the wreckage of the vehicle. Emergency crews extricated the driver from the minivan and STARS Air Ambulance airlifted the man, who was suffering from injuries to his pelvis and legs, to the Foothills Medical Centre in serious condition.

The two passengers of the minivan, a woman in her mid-fifties and a woman in her early thirties, suffered minor soft tissue injuries and were transported by ground ambulance to the Foothills Medical Centre in stable condition.

A portion of Highway 7 was closed until approximately 3:00 a.m.

RCMP collision analysts continue to investigate the collision.