Calgary Wrong-Way Crash on Stoney Trail Kills 4, Injures 4

A wrong-way crash on Calgary’s Stoney Trail late at night has left four people dead, including a woman and a child, and sent four others to hospital.

The collision happened around 11 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Stoney Trail near the Tsuut’ina Parkway exit. Calgary police say a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C350, driven by a 30-year-old man, was travelling southbound in the northbound lanes when it struck an oncoming 2016 Subaru Impreza driven by a 43-year-old man.

Four killed at the scene

The impact was devastating. Police said the Mercedes and Subaru caught fire after the initial collision.

The driver of the Mercedes, a female passenger and a child passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The Subaru driver was also pronounced dead at the scene.

A Chevrolet Equinox, driven by a 52-year-old woman, struck the Mercedes after the initial collision. The Chevrolet driver and three youth passengers were taken to hospital. Police said one person suffered life-altering but non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash left a grim scene for emergency crews responding to the late-night call. The Calgary Fire Department said in a statement quoted by CityNews that, when firefighters arrived, two of the three vehicles were fully engulfed in flames.

“Crews immediately initiated an aggressive fire attack while simultaneously conducting rapid searches of the involved vehicles and providing emergency care to those who could be reached,” the department said.

“Despite the rapid actions of first responders, four people were pronounced deceased at the scene. Four additional patients were transported to hospital by EHS for further assessment and treatment.”

Wrong-way travel under investigation

Calgary police are investigating impairment and excessive speed by the Mercedes driver as possible contributing factors in the crash.

Police have not said those factors caused the collision. At this stage, they remain part of the investigation into why the Mercedes was travelling the wrong way in the northbound lanes before striking the Subaru.

The sequence described by police is stark: the Mercedes heading southbound against traffic, the Subaru coming northbound, both vehicles catching fire after impact, and the Chevrolet then striking the Mercedes.

A highway crash with lasting impact

The confirmed toll is severe: four people killed at the scene and four people taken to hospital.

Among the dead were three people in the Mercedes, including the 30-year-old driver, a woman and a child. The fourth person killed was the 43-year-old Subaru driver.

The people in the Chevrolet survived, but police said one person’s injuries were life-altering while not life-threatening. The other three were also transported to hospital.

For a city accustomed to heavy traffic on Stoney Trail, the crash stands out not only because of the number of people killed, but because of the nature of the collision: a vehicle travelling the wrong way in highway lanes late at night, followed by fire and a secondary impact.

Police continue collision probe

The Calgary Police Service Traffic Unit is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Investigators are focusing on impairment and excessive speed by the Mercedes driver as possible contributing factors. No further determination has been released in the verified reports.

Police are asking anyone with additional information about the crash to contact Calgary police. LiveWire Calgary also reported that police were offering support to witnesses through the Victim Assistance Support Team.

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