2 pedestrians killed in Fort McMurray crash
CBC News | Posted: September 7, 2017 4:23 PM | Last Updated: September 8, 2017
A 52-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man were killed
A man and a woman in their 50s are dead after a vehicle struck two pedestrians in a north-end Fort McMurray neighbourhood Wednesday evening.
A 52-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man, both from Fort McMurray, were declared dead shortly after the collision on Real Martin Drive, RCMP said in a news release Thursday.
Police are not releasing the names of the pedestrians, and would not say if they were related.
The collision at 8:30 p.m. involved a single vehicle, police said.
The driver, a 48-year-old man, was arrested on scene. Charges are pending.Police would not confirm if speed or alcohol are considered factors in the crash. Traffic in the area is restricted to one lane, as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Wood Buffalo RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Dana O'Neil is a long-time resident of the neighbourhood. The street where the crash occurred is a dangerous place, she said.
The sidewalk ends as the street makes a sharp curve downhill into a heavily wooded area.
O'Neil refuses to walk along that stretch of the road, and uses the walking trails in the woods nearby whenever she can.
'There's always tires squealing'
"We hear people racing up and down the street," she said. "There's always tires squealing. We used to live in the apartment buildings and we would watch people drag race. We've had to call the cops a couple of times."
Karen van Sitter, who lives a few houses away from the crash site, said speeding is a chronic problem in the area.
"They drive too fast on the this road. I really think more should be done," van Sitter said in an interview from her backyard.
"I think the RCMP should be out here more. I have seen them in the morning occasionally, but evenings [should be] a priority."