A 30-year-old man is dead after fleeing the scene of a suspected hit-and-run and crashing his vehicle into a tree, police said in a news release.
Police received reports of a Ford Freestar van that hit a blue Dodge Ram 1500 while travelling in the area of 97th Street and 116th Avenue on Saturday at around 3:45 p.m.
The driver of the van then allegedly fled the scene, with the driver of the truck that was hit, a 56-year-old man, in pursuit.
The man driving the Freestar drove down 118th Avenue to 97th Street, turning southbound at a high rate of speed, police said in the release.
Police said he then reportedly lost control of his vehicle, swerved to avoid a parked vehicle and crashed into a tree.
The man, trapped inside the vehicle, was critically injured and was pulled out by Edmonton firefighters. Paramedics treated the man and transported him to hospital, but he later died.
The driver of the truck was not injured. Edmonton police would not confirm whether the 56-year-old man saw the collision, or whether he would face any repercussions for the pursuit.
Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the man’s death.
This is Edmonton’s 15th traffic fatality of 2017.