Manitoba

Woman, 30, dead after Fermor Avenue pileup during blizzard

A 30-year-old woman from Winnipeg is dead after a multi-vehicle pileup on Fermor Avenue during a severe snowstorm on Friday. 

Woman got out of her vehicle after collision, was then hit by another vehicle: RCMP

A person in an orange vest walks near badly damaged cars in a snowy ditch.
Several vehicles were damaged in a multi-vehicle crash on Fermor Avenue near Symington Road, just east of Winnipeg city limits, on Friday, RCMP say a 30-year-old woman is dead after she was struck by a vehicle at the scene. (Submitted by Chris Parks)

A 30-year-old woman from Winnipeg is dead after a multi-vehicle pileup on Fermor Avenue during a severe snowstorm on Friday.

RCMP were called to the crash near the Fermor Avenue and Symington Road intersection, just east of city limits in the rural municipality of Springfield, around 9:45 a.m. Friday, as southern Manitoba was slammed by a winter storm that severely limited visibility.

When Mounties arrived, members from Springfield Fire and Rescue and the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service were treating injured people at the scene, RCMP said in a Saturday news release.

RCMP believe the woman was hit by another vehicle after she got out of hers.

No other serious injuries were reported.

Winnipeg police said Friday that approximately 20 vehicles were believed to have been involved in the crash, but RCMP said Saturday they had identified a total of seven vehicles being involved.

The husband of another person involved in that crash told CBC on Friday that there were "total whiteout" conditions at the time of the crash.

Chris Parks drove to the scene of the crash to pick up his wife, who called him after her truck was hit from behind and got wedged between two semis. 

WATCH | 'She's lucky to be alive,' man says after wife involved in Friday pileup:

'Total whiteout': Woman pulled from truck after multi-vehicle Winnipeg crash

14 days ago
Duration 1:53
Chris Parks spoke with CBC shortly after his wife was pulled out of her truck by paramedics following a crash involving several vehicles on Fermor Avenue east of Lagimodiere Boulevard in whiteout conditions on Friday, Jan. 17.

Parks said his wife was pulled from her vehicle and released after being checked by paramedics, and was "lucky to be alive."

The pileup is one of at least 50 to 60 collisions RCMP said had been reported as of late Friday afternoon. Near-zero visibility led to multiple closures throughout the day, including the Trans-Canada Highway from Winnipeg to Brandon.