Rollover on Calgary’s Crowchild Trail sends 2 to hospital

A Monday morning crash on Crowchild Trail sent a car crashing through a guardrail and onto the road below. One woman has life-threatening injuries.

Calgary police say a woman in her 40s was left with life-altering injuries after a collision on Crowchild Trail N.W. on Monday.

The crash happened near 16 Avenue N.W. just after 6:30 a.m.

Police say a southbound Toyota Corolla, driven by a man in his 30s, collided with the rear of a Toyota Yaris, driven by a woman in her 40s.

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“[The Corolla] ultimately went through the barricade and fell about 25 feet to the northbound lanes below,” said Sgt Tory Fassnidge with the Calgary Police Service.

Police say both the driver of the Corolla and a passenger were taken to hospital. The driver suffered serious injuries and the passenger was in life-threatening condition.

The driver of the Yaris wasn’t injured.

The crash closed both northbound and southbound lanes of Crowchild Trail for several hours.

Northbound lanes reopened Monday afternoon, and southbound lanes reopened around 5 p.m.

Guardrails

It’s not the only crash involving guardrails across the country this year.

At least four vehicles went over guardrails in Ontario recently, killing one person, and raising concerns about snowbanks.

A recent American study found electric vehicles can easily crash through guardrails designed for lighter-weight gas-powered vehicles.

While design changes may improve road safety, safety advocates point to other solutions.

“Infrastructure.. that approach is expensive and it is not something we can quickly retrofit. Enforcement is something we need to look at more intently. I think education programs are something we need to look at more intently,” said Alex Gaio with Leading Mobility.

He and other advocates suggest a stronger focus on changing current driving behavior.

“Drivers need to be more responsible. We have the power to stop this carnage on our roadways,” said Debbie Hammond with Safer Roads Alliance.

Calgary marked a 20 year high of fatal crashes last year, with 38 deaths.

“I think people don’t leave themselves enough time, they’re overwhelmed with all the work and they’re in a hurry. I think in society we just view driving as my right when it’s really a privilege,” said Hammond.

It has sparked discussions about possible stricter limits for new drivers and mandatory training.

Alberta Motor Association has noticed more people taking its driver training classes, each of the last five years.

“About (a) 20 per cent increase. For us that’s a positive sign,” said John Sibbons Senior Instructor of Corporate Driver Training at AMA..

The course can lower insurance premiums for some people and the lessons can benefit everyone.

“You might be a good driver yourself but what about everybody else on the road? Having driver training helps refresh what you know and also stimulates the mind as to what I can do to help other drivers stay safe on the road,” said Sibbons.