Video: Massive Alberta highway pileup sends 300 people to hospital after crash

Mark Pereira — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Canada

A massive pileup in Canada was the result of a huge snowstorm that struck a busy stretch of Alberta highway between Edmonton and Calgary near Leduc, sending over 300 people to the hospital and causing what Alberta Health Services are treating as "a mass casualty event."

Reports on social media indicate hundreds of cars, transport trucks and buses ended up smashed and scattered across both directions of the highway, with many vehicles being violently tossed around or landing in ditches.

Unsurprisingly, Royal Canadian Mounted Police are blaming blowing snow, icy road conditions and poor visibility for the countless crash pileups. Emergency services reports suggest roughly 300 people were taken to hospital and about 100 of those patients required further medical attention. Fortunately, there's been no reports of any fatalities thus far, though crash victims were transported to nearby hospitals for various injuries.

"Several vehicles and a tractor trailer are off the road and in the ditch due to slippery road conditions," said Leduc RCMP constable Tim Gaultois, adding it will be sometime before the full extent of the carnage is known. The numerous collisions also forced police to shut down the main highway and divert traffic to alternate routes, creating traffic chaos and lengthy lines for many Alberta drivers. Scroll down to watch a Reuters video news report.

Continue reading Massive Alberta highway pileup sends 300 people to hospital after crash

Massive Alberta highway pileup sends 300 people to hospital after crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Acura TL bursts into flames moments before being traded in at Ontario dealership [UPDATE]

Mark Pereira — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Videos, Acura, Luxury

Watching your car burst into flames before your eyes is never good news, and it's even worse when you're mere moments away from trading it in at the local dealership. This Car-B-Q blaze apparently erupted at Acura 2000, a dealer in Brampton, Ontario. As the video tells us, the unlucky customer saw his 2004-2008 Acura TL trade-in suddenly catch fire and go up in resale-value-killing smoke.

According to the hyped-up cameraman (who evidently works next door at Northwest Lexus) and his eccentric play-by-play commentary, this Acura owner is about to be left without a ride home and might want to consider switching to a Lexus instead.

Scroll down to watch video of the drama unfolding as fire fighters put out the mysterious blaze before anyone - except the car - was harmed.

UPDATE: The owner of the 2008 Acura TL has contacted Autoblog to clarify the video above. Unlike what the narration suggests, he was not at the dealer to trade in his car. According to his email, he had brought in his car earlier for a power steering recall (to prevent a possible fire), and "...within 24 hours of the recall job being completed, the car burst into flames. It was caused by the power steering fluid leaking onto the catalytic converter."

The owner's tale of woe doesn't end there, however. He says that "Acura agrees that the mechanic had screwed up the job, and that is what caused the fire. However, both the Acura dealership and Honda Canada refuse to do anything about the situation. My insurance company was the one to compensate me."

Continue reading Acura TL bursts into flames moments before being traded in at Ontario dealership [UPDATE]

Acura TL bursts into flames moments before being traded in at Ontario dealership [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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