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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - A Trout Lake resident has become the first fatality of the year on the territory's highway system.

Fred Jumbo, 42, was walking on Highway 1 towards Fort Simpson on Feb. 3 when he was struck by a Ford F150 pick-up truck, said Sgt. Ron Prangnell of the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment.

The truck was heading out of the village when the collision occurred at approximately 10:05 p.m. near the second turn off to the Nogha Heights subdivision. Jumbo was pronounced dead at the village's health centre, Prangnell said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing. An RCMP collision analyst was brought to the village to assist with the case.

"They can get a good picture of the accident after the fact," said Prangnell.

The analyst should be able to determine factors such as the speed the vehicle was travelling and the point of impact, he said. Alcohol has not been determined to be a factor.

So far no charges have been laid against the driver of the truck who is a resident of the territory, Prangnell said.

A funeral service for Jumbo was held in Trout Lake on Feb. 7.

This isn't the first time that a pedestrian has been killed or injured on the stretch of highway leading out of the village.

The first incident occurred in 1992 and resulted in a pedestrian being injured. Seven years later in 1999 one person was killed and a second was injured after they were both hit. The most recent incident is the third in the past 17 years.

The Department of Transportation is responsible for the maintenance of that portion of the highway.

"We're always looking at the circumstances behind each incident that occurs," said Earl Blacklock, the manager of public affairs and communications for the department.

The department looks for high risk areas and examines the accidents to see what measures can be taken to improve safety, he said. The highway leading out of Fort Simpson hasn't been identified as a high risk area. Three accidents put it in the mid-range for statistical numbers, said Blacklock.

The department acknowledges that there's no street lighting along the highway. There is one light set in at the first entrance to Nogha Heights and a second at the entrance to Wild Rose.

This is, however, the first fatality where lighting is being considered as a factor, Blacklock said. The 1999 collision, which resulted in one death, occurred during daylight hours. Since that accident the highway has been chipsealed and dust prevention measures have been put in place, he said.

At this point the department doesn't have enough information to determine conclusively if either lighting or road conditions played a roll in the recent accident, said Blacklock.

"There are lessons to be learned from this fatality and we will be taking every step to learn these lessons over the next few months," he said.

It's not only up to the department, however, to prevent accidents, Blacklock said, drivers also have a responsibility.

This accident reinforces the message that people need to drive at a speed that allows them to safely stop in the range of their headlights, he said.

"We can't emphasize that enough," said Blacklock.

"It's in everyone's best interest to drive at an appropriate speed."

The highway between the island and the subdivisions is considered a pedestrian corridor and as a result the speed limit has been set at 60 kph, Blacklock said.

It has not been determined if speed was a factor in the accident.