40-CAR PILEUP ON STONEY TRAIL
Hundreds of crashes on snowy roads
About 40 vehicles were tangled up in a collision in the westbound lanes of Stoney Trail S.E. on Friday morning
Adam Loria with Calgary EMS said nine people were taken to hospital from the crash, which occurred between Chaparral and Cranston boulevards S.E.
“No life-threatening injures noted, but we’ve taken a number of people to hospital,” Loria said, adding the weather made conditions more difficult for first responders. “There were challenges ... but they were overcome.”
Carol Henke, public information officer with the Calgary Fire Department, said many occupants couldn’t open their doors following the incident and a number of people had to be removed from their vehicles.
Henke said two Calgary Transit buses were called in to shelter motorists from the cold as crews worked to clear the scene.
Heavy fog and slick road conditions were reported near the crash scene.
John Taylor lives in Cranston and was out for a walk just before 9 a.m. when he heard the pileup starting.“I could hear a bang and then glass breaking. Then it was just one after another,” Taylor said, adding he heard between 10 to 12 loud crashes.
Carolyn Long was driving with her husband when they came across the scene just after 9 a.m.
“It was quite the sight to see,” Long said. “At that point, everyone was being very cautious, and had slowed right downtodrive through the fog.”
The Calgary Police Service has been reminding drivers to turn their lights on, leave a good distance between vehicles and drive to the conditions.