A 39-year-old Fernie woman was killed on Highway 3 near the town of Coleman, Alberta Wednesday evening after attempting to avoid hitting an elk.
Emergency vehicles responded to an eastbound pickup truck that struck an elk approximately three kilometers west of Coleman, Alberta.
The individual in the pickup truck was not injured, but as a result of the collision, the vehicle was disabled, according the Crownest Pass RCMP.
It was then that a second eastbound vehicle, after attempting to avoid a second elk, lost control, skidding sideways down the highway. The driver’s side of the vehicle collided with the parked pickup truck.
The 39-year-old female driver of the second vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Crownest Pass RCMP, the passenger of the second vehicle, a 35-year-old male from Fernie B.C., was taken to the Crowsnest Hospital with unknown injuries.
Wildlife and road condition contributed to the collision and alcohol was not a factor, police say.
During the investigation into the incident, Highway 3 was detoured.
The name of the victim is not being released at this time.