On February 17, 2023, at approximately 3:25 pm, Pembina Valley RCMP received a report of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 23, near the intersection of Road 26N, located approximately two kilometres north of Mariapolis.
The investigation has determined that a vehicle with four female occupants, was heading northbound on Highway 23 when it encountered an ice covered section and lost control. The vehicle then collided head-on with a southbound SUV with one occupant, a 69-year-old male from Balder.
The 16-year-old front passenger, from Swan Lake, was pronounced deceased on scene. The 18-year-old driver, from Mariapolis, was transported to hospital in Winnipeg via STARS Air Ambulance with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The two rear passengers, a 13-year-old from Mariapolis and a 12-year-old from Notre Dame de Lourdes, along with the 69-year-old driver in the SUV were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Pembina Valley RCMP, along with a Forensic Collision Reconstructionist, continue to investigate.
