Six people seriously injured in three separate collisions Saturday

Calgary police say three separate accidents on Saturday resulted in six people being transported to hospital, including two pedestrians who were struck at a crosswalk by a driver fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run.

Police believe excessive speed played a factor in at least two of the collisions.

“This has been a deadly and dangerous week for Calgary motorists,” said Sgt. Colin Foster of the collision reconstruction unit in a release. “Please slow down, drive with care, and do not drive impaired.

“Each of the collisions have had different causes, but they have all resulted in the same outcome: Calgarians seriously harmed and families left dealing with a crisis.”

Around 5 p.m. a car rear-ended a truck but kept driving through downtown. The truck pursed the car, which drove through a red light at 5 Avenue and 1 Street S.E., hitting two people at a crosswalk.

The victims were assisted by an off-duty paramedic before being taken to hospital in serious condition. One of the pedestrians suffered life-altering injuries.

The car and truck both fled the downtown area to a residence in northeast Calgary. Police located both drivers at the residence and took them both into custody.

Charges are pending for the driver of the car. Police believe excessive speed and impairment may have been factors. The truck driver is also facing dangerous driving charges.

“What began as a simple property damage collision, almost led to catastrophic results,” said Sgt. Foster. “We cannot stress this enough: do not follow drivers when they flee the scene of an accident. Call 911 and follow the direction of the Emergency Communications Officers.”

https://twitter.com/CalgaryPolice/status/1464779959831044100

The second collision on Saturday night took place around Blackfoot Trail and Highfield Road S.E around 6:40 p.m. A southbound Toyota Corolla was turning into a parking lot when it was struck by a northbound Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The driver of the Corolla was taken to hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries. With the force of the collision, the Jeep was thrown into a traffic signal support column – the driver was uninjured.

Police believe excessive speed on the part of the driver of the Jeep may have been a factor in the accident.

Surrounding roads in the area were show down for several hours Saturday night.

The night’s third collision occurred when one vehicle turned into the path of another at the intersection of Woodpark Avenue and 24 Street S.W. around 10 p.m.

Fire crews pulled both drivers out of their vehicles. They were hospitalized in life-threatening condition and later upgraded to stable condition.