Operator plunges into Wapiti River
A workplace fatality south of Grande Prairie, Alta., will be examined by federal occupational health and safety investigators after a worker operating a commercial crane died when the vehicle drove off a highway bridge and into a fast-moving river, authorities have confirmed.
CTV News reported that one person was killed on Tuesday after the crane went over the Wapiti River Bridge on Highway 40, near Range Road 704 just south of the northern Alberta city. The vehicle entered the water and remained submerged in the hours that followed.
Emergency crews were notified at 9:10 a.m. that the crane had gone over the bridge, and police, fire, and search and rescue volunteers responded to the scene. Photographs taken after the incident show a damaged guardrail along the span where the crane left the roadway.
Recovery effort stalled by river conditions
The operator had not been recovered as authorities worked through the conditions at the site. RCMP said divers had been unable to enter the water to search for the driver because the current was too strong, according to CTV News.
In place of an immediate dive search, police indicated they planned to deploy sonar technology the following week to locate the submerged crane and the worker inside it. The approach reflects the hazards that fast-moving water presents to rescue and recovery personnel, who must weigh their own safety against the urgency of reaching a missing worker.
As of the most recent update, the crane remained in the river and the search had not concluded. The prolonged recovery underscores how a single loss-of-control event involving heavy equipment can evolve into a complex, multi-agency operation lasting well beyond the initial emergency response.
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety confirmed on Wednesday that the worker had been killed, and said the incident would be investigated by federal occupational health and safety investigators, according to the CTV News report.
The worker was a J.D.A. Ventures employee, according to a report from Edmonton Journal.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with J.D.A and everyone affected by yesterday's tragic events,” Oliver’s Funeral Home & Crematorium said in a Facebook post.
“On behalf of our staff, we are holding all those impacted close in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.”
