**CORRECTION: RCMP originally indicated the deceased was a man in his 50's. The deceased was 42**
A man in his 40's is dead following a head-on collision on a divided highway west of Coalhurst.
According to emergency officials, an eastbound vehicle entered a westbound lane of Highway 3, approximately two kilometres west of the Highway 509 intersection, and collided with an oncoming vehicle shortly before 5:00 p.m.
Members of the Coaldale RCMP detachment and Coalhurst Fire Department responded to the scene.
“The result of the collision was a fatality where we have what we believe to be a mid-50’s male deceased," said Staff Sergeant Glenn Henry of the Coaldale RCMP detachment. "Also in the vehicle was a female about 12 years old with some back injuries and clearly in shock as a result of this terrible event.”
The driver succumbed to his injuries on the way to the Chinook Regional Hospital. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., RCMP confirmed the deceased was a 42-year-old man from Standoff, Alberta. The identity of the deceased has not been released.
RCMP say the man and the girl were in a westbound Chevrolet Impala travelling in the westbound lanes of the highway.
The lone occupant of the Toyota Corolla that was heading the wrong direction on the highway, a 61-year-old man, was transported to ambulance as a precautionary measure with undisclosed injuries.
An RCMP investigation into the crash is underway and a single lane of Highway 3 was closed to traffic until late Monday night.
“We’re still trying to determine the cause and why someone would drive eastbound in the westbound lanes," said Henry. "We’re looking at all possibilities right now.”
Weather is not believed to have played a factor in the crash.
With files from CTV's Zayn Jinah
