Charges pending in high-speed Memorial Drive crash: Calgary police

Calgary police say charges are pending in a high-speed crash on Memorial Drive on Wednesday that sent two people to hospital.

Emergency crews were called to Memorial Drive and Ninth Street N.E. at 1:15 a.m. for reports of a crash.

In a security video exclusively obtained by CTV News, a car can be seen losing control on Memorial, narrowly missing the Bridgeland sign and smashing into a retaining wall.

In a statement, police said it's believed two vehicles, a 2023 Genesis G70 and a 2018 Mercedes Benz 250, were travelling westbound on Memorial when they crashed.

"The Genesis subsequently hit a barrier near the Bridgeland CTrain Station and the Mercedes collided with a nearby retaining wall."

TWO PEOPLE SENT TO HOSPITAL

Police said the occupants of the Genesis took off, while the man and woman in the Mercedes, both in their early 20s, were transported to hospital in serious condition.

The mother of the woman who was seriously injured in the collision told CTV News her daughter faces a long road of recovery ahead – and said she was not at fault.

The 21-year-old woman and a male friend were in a vehicle that flew past the Bridgeland sign and smashed into a retaining wall.

The woman is sedated in hospital, has a brain bleed and will require facial plastic surgery. She also has a broken jaw and other injuries.

The mother said her understanding is that another vehicle hit her daughter’s vehicle. Her daughter, who was driving, was knocked out.

Her foot then hit the gas pedal causing the vehicle to accelerate and crash.

'SEEMS LIKE IT'S A REALLY BAD CORNER'

The commotion woke up Bridgeland residents like CJ Fernet and her dog Bentley.

“My dog lost his mind and started barking and I looked out the window and there were ambulance and fire trucks and police,” she said.

“Our fire alarms then kind of went off, got sent outside and we could see the disaster that ensued.”

The parkade to Fernet’s building was closed for the day, as workers cleaned up debris and damage left behind by the crash.

Another resident said it was just a matter of time before this happened.

“We’ve seen the (Bridgeland) sign taken out a couple of times, this corner has been taken out, then last night this happened, so it just seems like it’s a really bad corner and it’s not even icy this time,” Trevor Day said.

The speed limit for that section of Memorial Drive is 70 km/h.

Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra says as long as there’s high-speed traffic, there’s always going to be the risk of crashes.

"I honestly don’t know what we can do besides building a time machine and convincing city builders of the past not to put a freeway between Bridgeland-Riverside and the river side," he said.

Carra says the city is working on ways to reconnect that community to the river.

He adds that there are talks with the local community association about making the Bridgeland sign a stronger barrier.

“So, if it hits it, the car stops at much greater damage to the car and the inhabitant, but potentially to the protection of pedestrians. The last thing we want is pedestrians getting smeared,” Carra said.

Area residents agree that more needs to be done.

“I face that street and it’s loud racing, they drive pretty fast on that street all night,” Fernet said. “Something’s got to be done, maybe they can lower the speed limit.”

Police say it’s unclear at this point if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

"Our Traffic Section continues to investigate this collision and we are asking anyone with information or CCTV footage to contact police,” the statement from police said.

Anyone with information can call police at 403-266-1234 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.