A local teen was killed and his mother critically injured in a tragic collision east of Humboldt last week.At approximately 4 p.m. on July 13, while the area was experiencing a heavy downpour of rain and hail, emergency crews were called to a two-vehicle collision approximately three kilometres east of Humboldt on Hwy. 5. A car travelling west on Hwy. 5 had collided with an east-bound minivan. The car remained on the highway following the collision, in the middle of the road, while the van came to a stop in the ditch.Prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) and other emergency responders, bystanders took the initiative to block off the highway to traffic and give aid to the people involved in the crash, noted paramedic Derek Dagenais of Humboldt and District Ambulance Service (HDAS).
"On the arrival of our ambulances, the bystanders did a great job of assisting our staff until the fire department and RCMP arrived," Dagenais noted, adding that HDAS used two ambulances from Humboldt and a third from Watson in dealing with this collision.The car received the most damage in the crash, and its two occupants had to be extricated by emergency responders from the Humboldt Fire Department and HDAS."In the interest of time, we opted to use two sets of Jaws (of Life) simultaneously," reported Dagenais. The crews were able to pry the doors of the car open and remove the two occupants pretty quickly, said Humboldt Fire Chief Norbert LeBlanc. "Humboldt firefighters worked very quickly and efficiently to gain access to the patients and assisted EMS staff immensely," Dagenais concurred.The two occupants of the car were the most severely injured of the five people involved in the crash. The 15-year-old male passenger from the Humboldt area was killed as the result of injuries sustained in the crash. His name has not been released by the RCMP.The 35-year-old female driver of the car sustained very serious injuries and was transported to hospital in Humboldt, then on to Saskatoon for treatment.
All three occupants of the van - a 43-year-old female, a 14-year-old female and an 11-year-old male, all from the Humboldt area - sustained injuries believed to be non-life threatening. They were taken to the Humboldt District Hospital for treatment and observation. The 43-year-old female was then taken to hospital in Saskatoon for further treatment.The highway was closed for a few hours while emergency crews dealt with the aftermath of the collision. An RCMP traffic analyst did respond to the scene to investigate, but exactly how the collision occurred is something authorities have yet to release. RCMP did note that weather conditions were believed to be a factor in the collision. Dagenais had praise for the bystanders who played such a big role in helping those involved in this crash, including an off-duty Humboldt RCMP officer, a Regina firefighter and a nurse, all of whom came across the incident and offered their help. "The assistance from everyone there was invaluable," Dagenais said.
