Rollover victims' names being withheld
One person has died after a single-vehicle rollover Thursday evening on the North Klondike Highway.
One person has died after a single-vehicle rollover Thursday evening on the North Klondike Highway.
The tragedy resulted in a lengthy closure of the key north-south artery between Whitehorse and Dawson City.
At about 9:40 p.m., the RCMP responded to a report that someone had been injured in a vehicle rollover on the stretch of highway about 14 kilometres south of Pelly Crossing.
When officers arrived on the scene at kilometre 446, they found the Kia Sedona minivan contained six adult males, all from outside the territory.
The driver, along with four of his passengers, were all wearing seatbelts and sustained no serious injuries.
The sixth occupant was not wearing a seat belt and had been thrown from the van.
Emergency Medical Services personnel and police officers found the man in critical condition with severe trauma to his entire body. A nurse pronounced him dead at the scene at 10:30 p.m.
Police believe the vehicle was driving on a gravel stretch in a construction zone when it went off the road into a ditch and rolled.
Alcohol and speed were believed to have been contributing factors, and the driver is being investigated by Pelly Crossing RCMP, police said.
The names of the deceased and the other occupants are not being released until family members have been notified.
The highway south of Pelly Crossing was closed last night and into this morning while the scene was being investigated by a traffic analyst.
Police reopened the highway by noon today.
Comments (3)
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Lisa Jeffery on Jul 13, 2010 at 7:48 am
What a senseless and tragic accident. My thoughts and prayers go out to V.V's grieving family. However I think it is a shame that a newspaper would publish that alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor when the driver of the vehicle has not been charged with drinking and driving. I think it is important for reporters to get their facts straight prior to publishing an article. I think for the victims families of this horrific tragedy to have to read something that is false is incredibly unjust. Lots of love going out to V.V's family.
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YukonMax on Jul 11, 2010 at 12:09 am
I remember a Dawsonite getting into a serious accident involving at least three vehicles near Stuart Crossing a few years back. A couple of hours before, he had purchased alcohol at the Dempster Corner's off sale store.
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Candice Menzi on Jul 10, 2010 at 1:29 am
This is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim. It is so important for people to be wearing their seat belts and not to drink & drive. It is a sad time for our community and I hope people really take this seriously and start making positive changes in their lives!!