Third victim dies in hospital following fatal crash in ring road construction area

Hwy. 22X crash claims third life A third person has died following a crash on Highway 22X at James McKevitt Road S.W., which happened on a stretch of road that just opened.

Calgary — Monday evening's collision at a southwest interchange has claimed a third life.

Police confirm the driver of a Honda Insight died in hospital from the injuries she suffered in the crash that occured shortly after 6:30 p.m. along Stoney Trail near the James McKevitt Road overpass

According to police, the driver of the compact car was attempting to merge from James McKevitt Rd. into the westbound lanes of Stoney Trail when it crossed in front of the path of a westbound Dodge D300 truck and was struck on the driver's side.

The impact of the collision sent both vehicles into the eastbound lanes of the ring road.

Two occupants of the car, a 72-year-old woman who was in the front passenger seat and a 77-year-old man in the backseat, were pronounced dead on scene by EMS.

The driver of the car, a 48-year-old woman, was airlifted to the Foothills Medical Centre in life-threatening condition. Police confirm she died in hospital.

The 33-year-old driver of the truck suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash and he was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition.

Drivers question ‘confusing’ and ‘stressful’ construction zone

Investigators have ruled out alcohol, drugs and excess speed as possible factors in the fatal collision and are working to determine the exact cause.

But several people who live nearby and drive the route regularly wonder if the always-changing traffic patterns and what they say is improper signage along that stretch of highway may have played a factor in the deadly collision.

“It’s very confusing, it’s stressful. I’ve had near-misses countless times, I’ve had people in front of me almost swerve and hit each other,” said Shannon Bond, who lives in Somerset and drives Stoney Trail almost daily.

“It’s just very frustrating and confusing.”

The construction zone is part of the Southwest Ring Road and work started in 2017. Alberta Transportation confirms the new James McKevitt interchange — which the driver of the Honda Insight was merging off of — was only opened to drivers this past weekend.

“My heart breaks for those killed in a fatal collision last night on Highway 22X,” said Transportation Minister Ric McIver in a statement.

“Following any major incident in a construction zone, Alberta Transportation reviews safety measures, including signage that was in place in the area."

Bond says she hopes changes are made to make the construction area safer before someone else gets hurt.

“It’s absolutely tragic. I felt so bad hearing that three people had to lose their lives over something that was preventable,” she said.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234.