Man dies after truck rolls on Grand Valley Road

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This article was published 03/09/2011 (5531 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in a rollover on Grand Valley Road that killed a 29-year-old Manitoba man.

A man who arrived on scene shortly after the crash said the truck he saw in the ditch was a mess.

“The roof was basically just about squashed down on the driver’s side,” said the area resident, who asked not to named.

Brandon RCMP Staff Sgt. Mike Zens said the crash happened around 2:45 a.m. on Friday.

The driver of a westbound 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck lost control in an s-bend about eight kilometres west of Brandon. The truck, which carried five people, rolled into the ditch.

One man, not the driver, died at the scene and all four remaining occupants, including a 16-year-old, were sent to hospital. At last report, they were in stable condition, although Zens said two patients may be transferred to Winnipeg for further care.

RM of Whitehead Police Service Chief Const. Doug Gormley said none of the truck’s occupants were wearing seatbelts.

The name of the deceased hasn’t been released, but at least some of the truck’s occupants may be connected to the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation or Birdtail Sioux First Nation and may have left a Brandon address shortly before the crash. That hasn’t been confirmed, however.

No charges have been laid yet as police continue to investigate.

A nearby resident said he and his wife happened to be awake when they heard the “bang” and his wife phoned 911.

Another man who also lives nearby said two males who crawled out of the wreck rang his doorbell for help. Covered in blood, they asked the resident and his wife to call 911, which they did.

While waiting for emergency workers to arrive, the resident headed to the wreck which lay on its side in the ditch, its roof crushed.

Three people were trapped inside, he said. One man was motionless in the back of the truck’s cab, a woman lay half way through the windshield and a second male rested against the driver’s side door.

There were beer cans in the vehicle and on the ground and there was a smell of alcohol, the man said.

Emergency crews then arrived and the man said they cut off the roof of the truck to remove the three victims.

As for the site of the crash, he said that, until recent years, there was a crash at the s-curve about once a year, but it had been 30 years since the last person died there.

About four years ago, white posts decked with orange reflectors were installed on each side of the road throughout the s-curve and the crashes stopped.

Drivers from the east and west are also warned of the upcoming curves by reflective signs with a posted speed of 50 km/h.

The resident who heard the bang said he understands the province bought land along the highway about 20 years ago with the intent to straighten the curve and make improvements such as widened shoulders and repaving, but nothing was done.

But a spokesman for Infrastructure and Transportation said yesterday that his department hasn’t bought land in the area for improvements, and there’s no work planned for the road under its five-year program.

Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said the government has worked to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving, and works with police to improve the rate of seatbelt use.

“No matter how good the roads are, we have to make sure we have safe drivers as well,” Ashton said.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com