A crash and vehicle fire which sent plumes of thick black smoke into the sky last Friday afternoon, forced closure of Highway 11 between Range Roads 21 and 22 in the Kuusamo area for about five hours. A collision between an eastbound semi-tractor hauling a 270D Deere excavator on a lowboy and a pickup truck occurred about 2:30 p.m. The semi continued into the south ditch where it caught fire while the pickup truck ended in the north ditch.
The 19 year old male pickup driver from Red Deer was extricated from his vehicle by Sylvan Lake firefighters and transported by STARS to University Hospital in Edmonton with serious life-threatening injuries. He remains in hospital, said RCMP Sgt. Michelle Boutin. The driver of the semi was checked and released at the scene.
Sylvan Lake RCMP report investigation is ongoing into the cause of the crash. Associated Ambulance personnel assisted on the scene.
The road was reopened by about 7 p.m.