A Breton man is in a coma in an Edmonton hospital and a Lacombe man is facing impaired driving charges following a two vehicle head-on crash last Friday night. Emergency crews responded to a crash near the corner of Highway 20 and Aspelund Road about 8:40 p.m.
Randy Pinch, 41, of Breton, was found trapped inside a 1994 purple Ford Ranger in the northbound lane while the driver of a 1999 Dodge Ram was located in his pickup truck in the west ditch.
Sylvan Lake firefighters worked for close to an hour to free Pinch from the cab of his vehicle while crews from Associated Ambulance and Lacombe Ambulance administered medical treatment.
STARS air ambulance landed and transported Pinch to the University of Alberta Hospital where he remained in a coma in serious condition late Sunday, according to a report by RCMP Cpl. James Allemekinders.
Witnesses on scene indicated the Dodge truck had been travelling south on Highway 20 when it crossed the centre line and collided head-on into the northbound Ford Ranger, said RCMP Cpl. Kevin Halwa in a news release.
An RCMP collision analyst attended the scene and assisted with the investigation. The highway was closed for several hours to southbound traffic while northbound traffic was routed east on Aspelund Road by firefighters.
Matthew Lawrence Engelman, 24, of Lacombe has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and refusing to provide a breath sample.