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Smith man killed after collision with moose Paul Bickford Northern News Services Published Monday, October 10, 2011
The 34-year-old was heading southbound on Highway 35 when the collision happened about 20 km south of High Level. The accident occurred at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 6. The RCMP had not released the name of the victim as of Saturday pending approval from next of kin. The driver, who was the lone occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene, said Const. Virgil Bitz of the RCMP in Paddle Prairie. "There was a witness that tended to the driver immediately after and he was deceased at that time," the constable said. The witness was driving in the opposite direction, and saw a shadow cross the headlights of the vehicle involved in the collision, Bitz said. "Then the vehicle crossed into his lane and came to a stop in front of him." The vehicle - an older model Honda Accord - didn't roll after impact and came to a stop about 30-40 metres from where it hit the moose, which was killed. The RCMP in High Level and Paddle Prairie were dispatched to the scene at 10:35 p.m., along with other emergency responders from High Level. The highway was closed for about two hours while police investigated. Bitz said the weather was good at the time and the road was dry. "Speed and alcohol were not a factor," he added. Bitz explained it is common in collisions with moose for the body of the tall, heavy animal to make contact with a vehicle's windshield. "In this case, the roof actually was sheared right back to the seat posts at the rear of the vehicle," he said. "The roof was pretty much removed from the car." The constable noted larger and newer vehicles usually fare better when hitting heavy animals. Bitz said, while vehicle-moose collisions are common in the area, a fatality from such an accident is unusual.
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