On January 8, 2017, at approximately 6:10am, Steinbach RCMP were called to a fatal collision on Highway 1, approximately 3 kilometres east of Highway 12.
Police say that a 42-year-old female driver of a pickup truck, pulling a trailer with a boat, was heading east on Highway 1 when she stopped to assist a man whose vehicle was stuck in the northbound ditch. The 38-year-old male driver of the stuck vehicle then approached her passenger-side window to speak with her.
Early police investigation has revealed that as a result of stopping, most of the pickup truck and trailer was blocking the driving lane. An eastbound semi-truck with dual trailers then tried to take evasive action and avoid hitting the pickup truck by steering to the shoulder of the road. The semi-truck struck the rear of the pickup truck and the male who was standing beside the pickup. The man was pronounced deceased on scene.
RCMP report that the female driver of the pickup, from the RM of Ste. Anne, along with the 70-year-old male driver of the semi-truck, from Quebec and as his 38-year-old male passenger were not injured in the collision.
An RCMP Forensic Collision Reconstructionist and the RCMP Criminal Crash Investigative Team are assisting with the ongoing investigation.
