Bowden mayor confident Hwy. 2 is safe

BOWDEN - Mayor Robb Stuart says he has no real concerns about the safety of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (otherwise known as Highway 2) in the wake of a collision that killed two people.

The collision occurred at about 1:40 a.m. Dec. 29 near Fas Gas. RCMP say a northbound semi slid across the highway, the median and into the ditch by the southbound lanes.

A woman identified as Heather McAsey Anderson stopped to help the driver. However, a second semi, southbound, slammed into both of them and killed them as it swerved to avoid debris on the road.

The deceased semi driver has been identified as 36-year-old Elayarajas Balasundaram, who reportedly came to Canada from India five years ago.

"I think that safety on Highway 2 in the Bowden area is well managed and well maintained," Stuart says.

"The QEII highway is well engineered for safety. The fences that were constructed have drastically cut down on the head-on collisions of vehicles crossing the median.

"The merge and exit ramps at Secondary Highway 587 are arguably the best in the province. Both north- and southbound ramps have excellent visibility and have adequate length to adjust your speed to traffic conditions."

Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk said the crash is still under investigation, noting speed and alcohol were not factors. He said charges are "not anticipated" at this time.

"Unfortunately the (semi) driver is deceased and the passenger was asleep in that semi so we can only assume. It (crash) was right on the curve there. He (semi driver) didn't curve. He went straight," said Matechuk.

Meanwhile, GoFundMe pages have been created to cover the cost of returning Balasundaram's body to India, as well as for the family of McAsey Anderson to help cover funeral expenses.

With files from Johnnie Bachusky and Joy Casselman, MVP staff