Man, 19, killed in semi, passenger vehicle crash north of Emerson

A 19-year-old is dead after a collision Saturday in southeastern Manitoba involving a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle.

RCMP officers from the St-Pierre-Jolys detachment received a call at 8 p.m. about a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of highways 23 and 200, located roughly 35 kilometres north of Emerson, a Monday news release said.

A vehicle with five people inside was travelling north on Provincial Road 200 when it hit a semi-truck travelling east on Provincial Trunk Highway 23, police said. The semi-truck jackknifed in the eastbound lane and tipped over into the ditch. The other vehicle landed facing west in a ditch on PTH 23.

A STARS air ambulance was dispatched, police said.

A 19-year-old man from Dominion City, located in the RM of Emerson-Franklin, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was declared dead at the scene. The male driver, also 19, from the RM of Stuartburn, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The other passengers taken to hospital included a 16-year-old female and 17-year-old male from Dominion City and a 16-year-old female from Emerson-Franklin.

The 27-year-old semi-truck driver from Winnipeg was treated at the scene for minor injuries. St-Pierre-Jolys RCMP and members from the RCMP’s Traffic Services unit are still investigating.

Emerson-Franklin Reeve David Carlson said the crash hit the tight-knit community hard.

“When you see see crashes like this when there’s someone’s killed, especially youth, it’s that extra bit of tragic,” he said. “It’s just a terrible experience.”

He said the intersection — controlled by stop signs on PR 200 — is flat and open, with few trees blocking the view. There are rumble strips leading to the stop signs.

”I’m not sure what else you could do. The stop signs are really large. The rumble strips will slow you down typically unless you try to avoid them,” he said.