A motor vehicle collision Jan. 14 on Highway 16 East claimed the life of a Valemount man.
Larry Bassaraba, 59, was the driver of a propane truck that was involved in two collisions near Yellowhead Lake.
Police say the westbound propane truck first sideswiped an eastbound tractor-tailer unit on the passenger side and upon continuing, the propane truck then collided head-on with a second eastbound tractor trailer unit.
Bssaraba was pronounced dead at the scene, The driver of the sideswiped unit sustained only minor injuries which were treated in Jasper.
The driver of the tractor trailer unit hit head on sustained serious injuries and was taken to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.
A collision reconstructionist from Kamloops, three additional RCMP from Prince George, and commercial vehicle standards & enforcement personnel all attended the scene.
When determined the propane tank was loaded, an emergency crew was dispatched to the scene by CANUTEC in consultation with Superior Propane. The situation was further complicated by extreme cold weather and strong blowing winds.
The highway was closed for about 24 hours. A number of investigative protocols will be examined to establish all contributing factors in the collision.
Anyone with information relating to the accident is asked to call the Valemount RCMP detachment at 250-566-4466.
