Yellowknife man dies in highway accident near Kakisa
Victim survives rollover, only to be hit and killed by a tractor trailer
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Updated Monday, October 6, 2014
KA'A'GEE TU/KAKISA
A tragic chain of events has resulted in the death of Yellowknife man in a highway accident near Kakisa on Oct. 1.
The victim has now been identified by friends as 39-year-old Rob Tait.
The man was driving southbound on Highway 1 in a one-ton pick-up truck when he was involved in a single-vehicle rollover, according to NWT chief coroner Cathy Menard.
Tait survived the rollover, as did his dog that was also in the vehicle, but emerged onto the highway and was struck and killed by an approaching semi tractor-trailer.
Menard said the fatal accident occurred at about 5 a.m. in full darkness. It is not yet known what time the rollover occurred.
RCMP traffic analysts examined the scene and are working to determine what factors led to the victim being hit.
"Charges are not pending against the driver of the semi tractor-trailer," Menard stated in a news release about the incident.
She noted it will be difficult to determine whether the man was injured in the pick-up rollover before being hit by the semi tractor-trailer.
The victim's body has been sent to Edmonton for a post-mortem examination.
The NWT Coroner's Service has assumed control of the investigation with assistance from the RCMP, the Department of Transportation, and Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission of the NWT and Nunavut (WSCC).
"The investigation continues into this fatal incident," said Menard in an Oct. 2 news release.
She told News/North the WSCC is also investigating because the tractor-trailer driver was working at the time of the crash.
The dog survived the incident, said Menard.
As a result of the accident, Highway 1 was closed from Enterprise to the junction with Highway 3 until about 4 p.m.
Tait was the owner of Empire North, an office furniture company based in Yellowknife.
Bob Doherty, president of Yellowknife-based Fire Prevention Services Ltd., said he had known Tait for two or three years.
"He did some work for us. This is a real shock," Doherty said.
"He was an excellent guy, a real gentleman. I was saddened to hear this had happened."
Tait leaves behind a wife and a daughter.
- with files from John McFadden
