PORTAGE la Prairie – On August 27, 2017, just before 8:30 pm, Portage la Prairie RCMP were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 16 in the RM of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
When police arrived on scene, they assisted EMS in providing medical care while the fire department extracted two individuals from a car. A 19-year-old female from the RM of Alonsa and a 17-year-old male from Portage were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Initial investigation has determined that a semi-truck was travelling westbound on the Trans-Canada Highway carrying a load of heavy pipes when it ran the red light at the intersection and collided with the car, which was heading southbound on Highway 16.
Gurjant Singh, 23, from British Columbia, was arrested and charged with Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle x2 and Criminal Negligence Causing Death x2. He remains in custody. Alcohol is not considered a factor in the collision.
“Last night, RCMP officers had to go tell two families that their children were never coming home,” said Tara Seel, Media Relations Officer with the RCMP in Manitoba. “Now those families are reeling, and the bottom line is – they should not have to be. The tragedies we are seeing on the roadways are preventable. Drivers need to slow down and pay attention.”
A RCMP Forensic Collision Reconstructionist and the RCMP Criminal Collision Investigative Team are assisting with the ongoing investigation.