Three young children killed in tragic afternoon on Sask. highway
A six-month-old infant, and two young boys, were among the dead in two separate crashes near the Battlefords on Friday, July 5.
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In the span of less than two hours on Friday afternoon,two separate fatal crashesin the Battlefords area left five people dead and a handful of survivors seriously injured.
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At 12:45 on Friday afternoon, a truck and a van collided on Highway #4 just south of Cochin, Sask. RCMP, EMS, STARS air ambulance and local fire crews responded.
Two boys agedfive and six from Flying Dust First Nation died at the scene, along with a 48-year-old woman, also from Flying Dust First Nation, RCMP said in a news release.
The man driving the truck and a woman who was a passenger in the van were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“Battlefords RCMP thankeveryone who assistedat the scene,” RCMP said.
RCMP and local emergency crews were called to another deadly two-vehicle crash barely 90 minutes later, 40 kilometres southon the same highway,
This time, they found a motorhome and an SUV that had collided just south of Battleford.
A 29-year-old woman and a six-month old baby boy who had been travelling in the SUV died at the scene. Both were from Red Pheasant First Nation, RCMP said.
The other two passengers in the SUV, a man and a boy, were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The driver and passenger in the motorhome were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
RCMP said their “thoughts are with the families during this difficult time,” while the investigations into both collisions continue.
The Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs said it would arrange critical incident supports “due to the tragic events affecting the surrounding First Nations,” and encouraged community members to call a crisis line, an Elder or the local mental health nurse if they need support.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of self-harm or experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566), Saskatoon Mobile Crisis (306-933-6200), Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit (306-764-1011), Regina Mobile Crisis Services (306-525-5333) or the Hope for Wellness Help Line, which provides culturally competent crisis intervention counselling support for Indigenous peoples (1-855-242-3310).
In the Battlefords, additional supports include the Atoskewin Success Centre Elder Support Contact (306-480-2521) and Battlefords Union Hospital Mental Health (306-446-6500).
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