Four people, two of them children, died in a horrific motor vehicle crash on the Yellowhead last Wednesday evening.
RCMP Central Interior Traffic Services and Barriere RCMP report they attended the motor vehicle accident along Highway 5 just north of Barriere on Feb. 1, at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Police noted that investigation indicates that a SUV (Suzuki Grand Vitara) traveling southbound on the Highway 5 went out of control and slid across the highway into an oncoming tractor-trailer.
A family of four in the SUV was en route from Edmonton to California. All four died as a result of the crash.
The driver of the tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries.
Police said the accident was very traumatic for those who went to assist at the scene.
"Road conditions at the time of the accident were icy and typical for this time of the year in this area", said S/Sgt. Steve Frayne, Unit Commander of Central Interior Traffic Services. "It is a devastating reminder for drivers to exercise caution on the roadways and to ensure their vehicles are prepared for the winter conditions."
The highway was closed until approximately 1:30 a.m. when a secondary road was opened to permit smaller vehicles to pass through. Highway 5 was eventually opened to all traffic at approximately 4 a.m.
Police have identified the victims as Benham Shokri, age 47, his wife Shirin Hamedi Khorasani, age 37 years, son Daniel Shokri, age six, and daughter Delina Shokri, age three.