Family of crash victim call for changes to dangerous stretch of Hwy. 1 near Field, B.C.
A 40-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway has claimed at least eight lives so far this year, and that toll has family of a lost loved one calling for change.
Scott and Dee Morrison had 28 years together but their time came to a tragic end just west of Field, B.C., on Feb. 5, when Scott Morrison's F-150 collided head-on with a semi truck that crossed the centre line.
Morrison, 51, was killed instantly. His brother survived but suffered multiple life-altering injuries.
"He was just very easy to love and he was my best, best friend in the world," said Dee Morrison.
When a Calgary couple was killed in the same area earlier this month, it all came flooding back.
"I literally bawled my eyes out," said Morrison.
"Because I knew what those families were going through. It was like (Scott) died all over again.”
Among the eight people who have died on that stretch of Highway 1 this year are three truckers who were killed in a fiery crash involving a cattle liner in late August.
Parks Canada is looking at twinning the highway and – according to its impact assessment – the road has a higher collision rate than average for similar highways.
The document was completed last year but so far no money has been committed.
"That area, there's not any dividers, absolutely no dividers between that road at all," said Morrison.
"And the speed, of course, is a factor on that road, too."
Skilled Truckers Canada says deadlines, slow trucks, new truckers and few police create “a recipe for disaster.”
Parks Canada initially agreed to an interview for this story, but days later said that wasn’t possible.
According to Parks Canada, peak summer traffic sees roughly 14,500 vehicles a day along the route – that’s expected to rise to 23,000 vehicles by 2040.
Golden RCMP say that driver inattention is a key cause of the fatalities, along with speed.
“Traffic has also increased substantially in national parks since COVID restrictions lifted, and drivers are eager to get ahead of slow-moving traffic," the RCMP said in a statement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'