Fatal Collision on Deerfoot Trail

The Calgary Police Service Traffic Section continues to investigate a fatal collision this morning on Deerfoot Trail.

Emergency crews were called to northbound Deerfoot Trail at 17 Avenue S.E., around 5:25 a.m., on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, for reports of a serious collision.

It appears a large tractor-trailer unit was pulling a trailer with a large crane on board. Another tractor-trailer unit was attached to the rear of the trailer and was being used as a “push truck.”

Push trucks are typically utilized when a load requires extra power and braking to move it down a roadway. The combined weight of these vehicles as they traveled down the roadway was approximately 150,000 kilograms.

As the load was going beneath the 17 Avenue overpass, the trailer began to rock, causing the chain holding down the crane to break. The push truck attached to the trailer was then turned sideways as the crane began to fall off the trailer.

The push truck overturned and the cab struck the rear of the trailer, causing fatal injuries to the 39-year-old male driver.

It took approximately nine hours to clean up the collision due to the large equipment involved and the large cranes brought in to lift the debris off the roadway.

Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in this collision.

The roadway is expected to be fully open to traffic around 2 p.m. this afternoon. The CPS would like to thank the public for their patience.