MEMRAMCOOK, N.B. — A Nova Scotia Mountie who apparently stopped to assist motorists with a flat tire has been killed in a collision in southeastern New Brunswick.
A utility van collided with his police car and an SUV shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday in the east bound lane of the Trans Canada Highway near Memramcook, police said.
RCMP Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said the preliminary investigation has determined the officer stopped to assist two people in the SUV change a tire.
"The 35-year-old male RCMP officer died at the scene," she said.
"The two people with the SUV were taken to hospital and the driver of the van was also taken to hospital where he was treated, released and has been taken into police custody," Rogers-Marsh said.
Rogers-Marsh couldn't say why the Nova Scotia officer was in New Brunswick at the time, but did confirm that he was on-duty and in uniform. As of midday Wednesday, his name had not been released.
Photographer John Morris was driving to Moncton when he came upon the accident.
"As I got closer I noticed there were cars in places where they shouldn't have been on the side of the road. I noticed a lots of flashing lights and a police car that looked severely damaged," he said.
Morris' photos show damage to both the front and rear of the RCMP cruiser.
"Just looking at it you got a bad feeling about it," he said.
Morris said he knows many RCMP officers, and it was difficult to view the wreckage.
"They put their lives at risk a lot. They have a tough and difficult job and don't receive a lot of credit for what they do," he said.
Rogers-Marsh said it has been a difficult time for members of the force.
"When our members deal with fatal accidents it's never easy to deal with that. It's certainly very difficult when it's one of your own co-workers or somebody that you might know. Our thoughts go out to the member's family, friends and his co-workers," she said.
She said investigators would have to determine if everyone was in their vehicles at the time of the crash or standing by the vehicles.
Photos appear to show the tire had been changed. A tire with a plain black rim can be seen on the rear passenger side of the SUV.
The eastbound lanes of the highway were closed for several hours while emergency crews attended the scene. The highway was re-opened Wednesday morning.
