16 dead in 6 weeks of carnage on Newfoundland roads
Nearly all areas of province affected by deadly road accidents since Aug. 1
A deadly spate of crashes on the province's roads has left 16 people dead in the last six weeks.
Among the deceased are an 11-year-old boy, two 18-year-old girls, a husband and wife, senior citizens, Newfoundlanders, a Labradorian and a tourist.
They were students, fishermen, proud parents, daughters and sons.
Aug. 1 — Calvin Tobin
It was just after 11 p.m. when Calvin Tobin and Travis Firmage were travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway near Clarenville.
According to police, Firmage had been drinking before getting behind the wheel. The two men collided with a transport truck.
Tobin, a fisherman from Southern Harbour, suffered massive trauma and was pronounced dead the next morning, just after 9 a.m.
He was 25 years old.
Aug. 7 — Woman dies after hitting motorcycles
A 45-year-old woman was killed when a car crossed the centre line and smashed into three motorcycles on the Northern Peninsula.
The crash occurred on Route 430, four kilometres south of Wiltondale.
None of the people involved in the wreckage were from Newfoundland and Labrador. The driver of the car was charged under the Highway Traffic Act.
Two motorcycle drivers were taken to hospital. One was released soon after, while the other suffered "serious injuries," according to the RCMP.
Aug. 11 — Two more die in motorcycle crashes
Two men lost their lives in motorcycle accidents on different parts of the island.
A 64-year-old man was killed on Route 10 near Glovertown at around 3 p.m.
Thirty minutes later, a 53-year-old man was killed in a crash on the Trans-Canada Highway just west of the Holyrood Access Road.
Both accidents were labeled single-motorcycle collisions by the RCMP.
Aug. 27 — Four dead, including family of three
A young girl was orphaned as her parents and 11-year-old brother were killed, along with an 18-year-old who loved musical theatre, in one horrific incident on the Avalon Peninsula.
Michael Ryan, his wife Paula and son Mikey, were on their way back from the young boy's softball tournament. Sarah Stride was driving in the opposite direction with a young passenger.
Their lives were entangled in one final and fatal moment. Only the passenger in Stride's van survived that accident.
The Ryan's 13-year-old daughter, Rachael, was not travelling with the family.
Sept. 7 — Missing person's case comes to unfortunate end
For a few hours, Allison Smith's face was everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found.
The 18-year-old Memorial University student was reported missing on Sept. 6 when she failed to show up for an appointment in her home town of Clarenville.
She was last seen alive at 1 a.m., leaving a party in St. John's.
The search came to an unfortunate end when a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer found her Hyundai Elantra while combing the side of the highway near Foxtrap.
Her car had gone over a steep embankment, just short of a section of guardrail. Her body was found right next to the memorial for Sheldon Quinton, who went over the same steep hill in 2015.
Sept. 11 — 3 killed on Veterans Memorial Highway
First responders were faced with another gut-wrenching scene on Monday, as a head-on collision claimed the lives of three people.
The collision happened around noon, forcing police to close down the road for more than five hours.
Not much is known of the victims, but a fourth person was sent to hospital for treatment.
After the crash, two survivors of a 2016 incident started an online petition calling for passing lanes on Veterans Memorial Highway. The petition had gathered more than 5,700 signatures as of Thursday.
Sept.11 — Teen struck down while walking to school
Justin Hynes had just started his senior year at Long Range Academy in Cow Head.
The 17-year-old was walking to school when he was struck by an SUV at 8:30 a.m.
His friends were looking forward to graduating and starting their adult lives. Now they will have to do it without him.
"I can't believe he's not going to be here on our big day," said Mitch Brown, a good friend of Hynes.
The investigation into that accident is continuing.
Sept. 13 — 3 killed in west coast collision
According to a witness, two pickup trucks collided on a four-lane, non-divided section of highway in poor weather on Wednesday.
One landed in the eastbound lane, the other in a ditch on the other side of the road. Three people were killed.
A trio of ambulances arrived and were off to hospital within 30 minutes of the crash, which happened near Howley Junction.
A long line of cars pulled over on the sides of the road, with some drivers watching the cleanup.
The deceased are a 56-year-old woman from Sop's Arm, a 44-year-old woman from Pollards Point and a 71-year-old man from Labrador.
The investigation is ongoing.