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Crash kills motorist near Kitwanga, road closed

A THIRD fatal accident in as many weeks in the northwest claimed one life earlier today near Kitwanga.

A THIRD fatal accident in as many weeks in the northwest claimed one life earlier today near Kitwanga.

A vehicle heading east on Cedarvale Road failed to stop at a stop sign and broadsided a car travelling south on Hwy 37 North, killing the female driver of the eastbound vehicle and sending both vehicles off the road at about 7 a.m., reported North District West Traffic Services today.

The three passengers in the eastbound car were taken to Mills Memorial Hospital here and Wrinch Memorial Hospital in New Hazelton, said police.

The male driver of the southbound car was taken to Wrinch Memorial Hospital in Hazelton for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening, injuries, reported police.

All the motorists were from the Terrace and Kitwanga areas, said police.

At least one person was medevaced by helicopter to hospital, said traffic services member Const. Christopher Mosley, adding he wasn't sure which hospital that person was taken to.

Names are not being released pending notification of next of kin, said Mosley.

New Hazelton RCMP were called out to the accident but collision reconstruction analysts from Terrace RCMP went to the scene as well, said Mosley, adding the analysts are always called out to a fatal crash.

This is the third fatal crash in the last three weeks: a head-on collision claimed the life of one woman east of Terrace July 30 and a single vehicle rollover took the life of a driver near Houston Aug. 12.

The causes of all three collisions are still unknown and investigations into all three continue, said Mosley.

DriveBC reports that Hwy 37 North is closed in both directions 1km north of Hwy 16 because of a vehicle incident.

A detour via Bridge Street in Kitwanga is available.

The road may be reopened at 5 p.m. DriveBC will provide an update at that time.

Mosley said it takes a long time for collision reconstructionists to get all the information they want and it can take several hours.