Fatal collision on Highway 519 under investigation

Jeremy Appel
Westwind Weekly News

Police are investigating after in accident in the midst of a snow storm near Granum resulted in the death of a 20-year-old male.
Fort Macleod and Claresholm RCMP responded to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 519, just east of Granum around 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 8.
A Ford Fusion was struck broadside by a westbound semi-tractor after entering Highway 519 from Range Road 264.
The 20-year-old driver of the Fusion was pronounced dead at the scene, while an 18-year-old male passenger had to be extracted from the vehicle by firefighters and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The semi driver suffered only minor injuries.
Both the passenger and driver of the Fusion were from Lethbridge and the semi driver was from Calgary, according to police.
An RCMP collision analyst from Lethbridge attended the scene of the accident, but its cause remains under investigation.
Cpl. Curtis Peters says the investigation will look at what other factors beyond the snow storm may have contributed to the collision.
“They’d check into whether there’s any other contributing factors, for example drugs or alcohol impairment,” he said.
“They also check for any defects in the vehicles or signage that may have been a contributing factor.”