2 boys hospitalized after UTV, semi collision on Manitoba highway
UTV made sudden turn in front of semi as semi was passing it, RCMP say
Two boys were sent to hospital after the utility task vehicle they were driving was hit by a semi on a Manitoba highway on Monday, RCMP say.
Mounties responded to the crash around 11:15 a.m. on Highway 244 in the rural municipality of Treherne, where they found the semi on the shoulder facing north and the UTV lying in the ditch on the west side of the road, RCMP said in a Tuesday news release.
The initial investigation determined the UTV was being driven north down the highway by a teenage boy, with another boy as a passenger, when the semi moved into the passing lane to pass the slow-moving UTV, the release said.
The UTV then made a sudden turn across the road in front of the semi, and was hit by the larger vehicle near Road 41 North. Neither boy was wearing a seatbelt or a helmet, RCMP said.
The teen driving the UTV was taken to hospital in critical condition by STARS air ambulance, while the other boy was taken to hospital by EMS in serious but non-life-threatening condition. Their conditions have both since been upgraded to stable, Mounties said.
The driver of the semi was not injured. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash, the news release said.
Treherne RCMP continue to investigate, along with the criminal collision investigation team and a traffic analyst.