RCMP have identified the victim of a tragic fatal crash on Highway 3 between Yellowknife and Behchoko as a 45-year-old man from Yellowknife.
His name has not been released.
Mounties say it happened 45 kilometres west of Yellowknife about 2am Wednesday.
Police say two pickup trucks were parked on the same side of the highway, dealing with a flat tire on a trailer.
A semi-truck – heading towards Yellowknife – then stopped on the other side of the road to offer assistance.
Soon after, another semi-truck heading westbound towards Behchoko came upon the scene and crashed into the parked pickup trucks – colliding with the victim who was outside of his vehicle attending to the trailer, police said.
Tragically, police say he was declared deceased at the scene.
Two passengers, sitting in the parked pickup trucks, sustained non-life threatening injuries and were transported to Stanton Territorial Hospital.
The drivers of the semi-trucks were not hurt.
Mounties say both semi-trucks were carrying fuel, but no hazardous spill occurred.
Behchoko RCMP helped with traffic while Highway 3 was closed for several hours to allow police and their partners to investigate.
The Office of the Chief Coroner attended the scene.
GNWT Highway Transport Officers were also called to the scene due to the commercial vehicles involved.
Police say alcohol was not a factor, but that extreme cold weather conditions probably contributed to the crash.
The investigation is ongoing.
CKLB and RCMP extend condolences to the man’s family and friends.
We are also offering thanks to members of the public who helped at the scene and first responders who had to do their jobs in very difficult circumstances.
