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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Four Yellowknife residents are recovering after the vehicle they were in rolled over in a ditch on Highway 3 early Wednesday morning.

The four men, all in their early 20s, were driving from Yellowknife to Hay River when the driver of the Jeep Cherokee lost control around 7 a.m near Behchoko.

Two of the passengers in the backseat, who were not wearing seat belts, were ejected from the SUV.

One of the men in the accident walked half a kilometre back to a gravel crushing operation to get help. The company's on-scene medics were able to provide first aid to the victims, said Cpl. Ben Parry of the Behchoko RCMP.

"They did a really good job taking care of these guys," he said. "They were very fortunate that they were there."

About an hour later EMS arrived and transported the victims to Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Three of the men were treated and released, while the fourth was medevaced to Edmonton for surgery on a broken arm.

Preliminary investigations suggest that fatigue and speed were a factor in the crash.

Given the circumstances, Parry said, the men were lucky to even be alive.

"When you have people ejected from a motor vehicle during a collision it is almost a certainty that people will end up dead or badly, badly injured. And to have someone treated and released following an ejection is almost miraculous," said Parry.

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