Mom, eight-year-old daughter mourned as Mounties probe crash near Altona

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This article was published 18/11/2024 (347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The family of a Manitoba mother and daughter who were killed in a crash Friday near Altona is asking for prayers, while RCMP investigate why a tractor-trailer failed to stop before hitting the victims’ SUV.

Relatives identified the victims as Sara Unger, 35, and her eight-year-old daughter Alexa Unger, who lived in the Rural Municipality of Rhineland.

“Peter and Dominic lost their wife/mom,” reads a GoFundMe page set up by a family member. “Let’s pray for Peter and Dominic.”

RCMP said charges are anticipated in the crash, which happened at the intersection of provincial roads 201 and 306 shortly after 7 p.m. Friday.

RCMP said the tractor-trailer, driven by a 25-year-old man from Brampton, Ont., did not stop at a stop sign while travelling east on PR 201.

PR 201 has rumble strips and yellow signs in both directions to warn approaching drivers to slow down and stop at the intersection.

The semi-truck crashed into the SUV, which was southbound on PR 306 and driven by Sara Unger. Police said she died at the scene about 13 kilometres west of Altona.

Alexa Unger, the lone passenger, died after being airlifted to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

The truck driver was treated in hospital and released.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said the investigation is expected to take some time due to the forensic reconstruction and other work that is required.

“It’s not a quick process,” he said. “These can be quite time-consuming, because you want to get it right the first time.”

Evidence will eventually be submitted to the Crown for an opinion on potential charges.

Manaigre said investigators will look at a range of potential driving-related factors and conduct a mechanical analysis of the truck to determine why the driver did not stop.

They will also download information, such as the truck’s speeds and whether brakes were applied, from the vehicle’s data recorder, he said.

A woman who was travelling behind the Ungers’ SUV told investigators the truck appeared to be travelling at high speed, said Manaigre.

Both provincial roads have speed limits of 100 km/h in the area.

Investigators will attempt to interview the truck driver.

“I think they tried to speak to him at the hospital, but he was just in shock, and really not in a position to say much,” said Manaigre.

In a social media post over the weekend, Progressive Conservative MLA Josh Guenter (Borderland) offered sympathies to the family and slammed the driver.

“I am also outraged at the callous disregard for human life by this driver, from ‘Brampton, Ontario’ and hope that he faces the full brunt of the law, and that if he is not a Canadian citizen, that he is deported.

“We need a crackdown on cheap foreign labour in the trucking industry and especially on the truck driving schools.”

Guenter then compared the crash to the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy where the driver of a semi-trailer truck pleaded guilty to dangerous driving offences and faced a deportation order.

“Absolutely outrageous,” Guenter continued. “Send them back!”

The MLA softened his stance Monday, writing on Facebook he’d received “thoughtful feedback” about his earlier post and emphasized his heart also goes out to the driver involved.

“My intention was never to target individuals but to focus our attention on the serious issue of road safety,” he wrote.

Community members began rallying around widower Peter Unger and his young son Dominic over the weekend.

Rhineland Reeve Don Wiebe said the local fire department, which Peter Unger is a member of, has ensured supports are available to the father and son.

“I’m sure there’s a circle (of people) there that have been impacted very dramatically,” said Wiebe.

The collision will be discussed at an upcoming council meeting.

Wiebe said the intersection is “a fairly wide-open space,” and he is not aware of any serious collisions happening there in the past.

The Manitoba Trucking Association expressed condolences to those affected by the collision.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the families of those impacted,” executive director Aaron Dolyniuk said in a statement.

“The MTA will refrain from making comments at this time. We strongly believe that now is not the time for speculation on the circumstances surrounding this tragic collision. It is important that investigators are able to take the time required to determine the facts.”

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s traffic engineering branch will examine the intersection as part of a standard fatal collision review, “with a special focus on road safety features, signage and sight lines to determine if improvements are required,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca