Emergency crews transported a 21-year-old driver to hospital in critical condition after his vehicle plunged off a washed-out road Tuesday in the RM of Dauphin. Thursday morning, police confirmed the driver had died.
“It’s quite shocking. These washouts have been here quite a while,” said Brian Frykas on Wednesday. Frykas lives in the area.
Crews were called to the crash scene on Road 142 North near Keld, Man. around 8 p.m. June 4.
RCMP said witness reports showed a Dodge Ram pickup truck was heading westbound on Road 142 North at a high rate of speed and plunged off an embankment into a creek bed.
Police said culverts at the location had been washed out and the drop was approximately 15 feet (4.57 metres).
Years ago, there was a bridge at the location but when it was damaged, culverts were added and a road built on top.
Frykas said a barricade was put up after culverts were damaged during a fast melt at the end of April.
Witnesses said the truck went around the barricade, crashing into the bank on the far side of the creek.
No one else was in the pickup truck at the time of the crash.
The site was well-marked with barricades and warning signs, said RCMP. Visibility was reported good at the time of the crash.
“Yes, signs are here but signs do not save lives. Culverts and bridges do,” said Pat McLaughlin who lives near the site. Her family called 911 after witnessing the crash.
RM of Dauphin Reeve Dennis Forbes said they can’t repair the road until culverts are replaced.
“It’s a municipal road, but being a provincial drain, they will make the repair and then we will maintain (it),” said Forbes.
The province didn't offer a response to CTV News on June 5.
McLaughlin was also friends with a man who died in a separate collision at a different washed-out road days earlier. Greg Miller, 46, of Dauphin was driving a grain truck that plunged through a road, close to Grandview on Road 150 West near Highway 5 on June 1.
McLaughlin said that days after Miller’s death and hours before the 21-year-old motorist crashed, the province put up larger, more stable signs.
She hopes the focus shifts from warning people to fixing the problems.
- with a report from Alesia Fieldberg
