Man Dies in Multi-Vehicle Crash on Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria County, N.B.

One man was killed early Wednesday in a four-vehicle crash on the Trans-Canada Highway in Morrell Siding, N.B. about 15 kilometres north of Perth-Andover.

RCMP say that around 1:30 a.m., an 18-wheeler heading eastbound jackknifed on the snow-covered roadway.  A pickup truck travelling behind the tractor-trailer was hit from behind by a second tractor-trailer that was unable to stop in time. A third tractor-trailer then collided with the other three vehicles. The force of the impact folded the pickup truck in half.

Firefighters, paramedics and members of the Saint-Léonard RCMP responded to the pile-up and found the driver of the pickup, a 51-year-old man from Tangier, Nova Scotia, dead at the scene. The Plaster Rock Fire Department extricated the victim from the wreckage.

A 13-year-old girl was trapped in the passenger vehicle and paramedics managed to find a tiny opening so they could pull her out, according to a report by CIMT-TV.  The girl suffered serious injuries, but police did not believe they were life-threatening. She was taken to a local hospital then transferred to a hospital in Halifax for specialist treatment.

The three truckers reportedly escaped the crash unharmed. The tractor-trailers all had significant damage and one of them had to be towed.

An RCMP collision reconstructionist and the New Brunswick Coroner's office attended the scene and are assisting with the ongoing investigation. The highway was closed until early Wednesday afternoon.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, although poor weather conditions due to heavy snowfall are believed to have been a factor, according to Sgt. Jean-Pierre Bouchard of the Saint-Léonard RCMP.