‘A terrible thing’: teen dead after St. Mary’s Road crash By: Chris Kitching Posted: 11:39 AM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 Last Modified: 10:23 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022 Updates

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A 17-year-old male was killed Tuesday night when a car crashed into a utility pole on St. Mary’s Road, raising concerns about speed and a notorious curve.

The teen was the only passenger in the black sedan when it veered out of control on northbound St. Mary’s and mounted a sidewalk near Guay Avenue shortly before 8:50 p.m.

He was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to hospital in critical condition, Winnipeg police said Wednesday.

The injured driver, an 18-year-old man, was in serious condition in hospital.

It was the third fatal collision in Winnipeg in as many days.

Surveillance video obtained by the Free Press showed the car going out of control at a left curve in the road, where a sign recommends a maximum speed of 40 km/h.

The vehicle, which was travelling at high speed, swerved from side to side before hitting a road sign and the wooden pole.

“Horror” is how Don Cairns described his reaction when he watched the footage, which was recorded by a street-facing camera at his business.

It was going pretty fast,” said the owner of EyeSee Computers and Security Cameras. “It’s a terrible thing. The poor parents.”

He is providing the video to police investigators.

“It was going pretty fast… It’s a terrible thing. The poor parents.”–Don Cairns

The car’s passenger side was severely impacted when it crashed into the pole.

The demolished vehicle was surrounded by debris and numbered evidence markers while traffic division investigators remained at the taped-off scene through Wednesday morning’s commute.

A city police spokeswoman declined to comment on potential factors and the moments leading up to the single-vehicle crash.

The speed limit on that stretch of St. Mary’s is 60 km/h.

Cairns said there have been previous crashes in the area, including some at or near the bend in the road. “The curve doesn’t look so bad, but it is a bad curve.”

The northbound lanes are lined by businesses, most of which were closed at the time of the collision. Guay Park and the Red River are on the opposite side of the road.

Eat on Samosa owner Manika Pradham was sitting at a table inside her restaurant when she heard a loud noise like a “thud” outside.

She didn’t realize it was a car crash until she saw flashing lights as emergency vehicles arrived at the scene a block to the north.

“I went outside, and it was really bad,” she said of the scene, as police officers soon set up a cordon and asked people to move back.

Pradham also recalled a serious collision that occurred in the same area about two years ago. A few weeks ago, someone came into her restaurant to find out if a hit-and-run near the bend was captured by a surveillance camera at Eat on Samosa.

“It’s the kind of area — I don’t know how it happens — but it does happen there,” she said of collisions.

After the latest crash, St. Mary’s was closed to northbound traffic between Vivian and Fifth avenues until around 11 a.m. Wednesday.

A sidewalk on the east side of St. Mary’s was also closed. Police advised commuters to avoid the area.

Traffic investigators are asking anyone with information to call 204-986-7085.

City police are also looking for drivers involved in a pair of fatal hit-and-runs about 19 hours apart Sunday.

Shannon Joan Marie Romaniuk, 24, was hit by a vehicle at Portage Avenue and Berry Street at about 11:30 p.m. She died after being taken to hospital.

The vehicle that fled the scene is described as a silver/grey late-model SUV.

Around 4:30 a.m. the same day, Corazon Manguerra, 81, was had to be extricated from an SUV following a two-vehicle collision at Sargent Avenue and Empress Street. She later died in hospital.

The occupants of the other vehicle, a dark-coloured Dodge Caravan, ran from the scene before officers arrived.

Police said the van was seen travelling at high speed prior to the crash.

On Oct. 9, Jim Aitkenhead, 78, was fatally struck by a vehicle on Osborne Street near Morley Avenue.

He was crossing outside the Fred Tipping Place retirement home, where he lived.

The driver, a woman in her 80s, remained at the scene. No charges have been announced.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching