One person has died after a collision on Highway 1 west of Winnipeg Wednesday early in the morning.
Alan Rau, Chief of the Tache Fire Department, reports that they received a call at 12:30 am regarding a collision that took place on the Trans Canada Highway, just east of the Provincial Road 206 intersection.
The St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP investigation determined a car, and an SUV were travelling eastbound on Highway 1 and were side-by-side when the passenger tire of the car, with the control arm and other mechanical parts, came off and struck the SUV, which was travelling in the south lane. This caused the car to come to rest on the roadway and immediately catch fire.
"One was in the median ditch, it was burning, and another vehicle was in the south ditch," says Rau. "Once we arrived, we made an attack to extinguish that fire."
He says the driver, a 25-year-old male from Calgary, got out safely and was transported to the hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.
He adds, "And then for the other vehicle that was in the south ditch, there were two occupants, and they were extricated."
RCMP reported the 45-year-old male passenger, from the RM of Hanover, was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while the 59-year-old male driver, from Steinbach, was pronounced deceased on scene.
A third vehicle was travelling close behind the collision and struck the tire component of the car, which was left on the highway after the collision, making the vehicle inoperable. The 28-year-old female driver, from Kenora, Ontario, was transported to the hospital with minor physical injuries.
Rau explains they had one westbound lane open and closed all eastbound lanes. Traffic was diverted down by Bailey Rd until around 4:55 am.
Rau says this collision happened within 200 metres of Friday's fatal crash.
A RCMP Forensic Collision Reconstructionist is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
With files from Kenton Dyck