Millet, Alberta (Edmonton Journal) – An RCMP officer killed in a collision with a grain truck south of Edmonton on Tuesday has been identified as Const James Lundblad.
Lundblad, 41, had been posted to the Camrose traffic services unit for the past year and a half after six years with the Edson detachment. He was not married.
He was killed when his marked cruiser collided with a grain truck during a speed enforcement campaign on Highway 2A south of Millet, which is about 50 kilometres south of Edmonton.
It’s believed that Lundblad was stationary, facing north on the shoulder of the highway, when a suspected speeder passed him. As the officer made a U-turn to head south to intercept the vehicle, his cruiser was struck on the driver’s side by a northbound grain truck.
Both vehicles travelled across the southbound lane into the west ditch.
The constable was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the grain truck was not injured.
A woman who came upon the wreckage just after 10 a.m. said there were between five to seven police cruisers on the scene, as well as an ambulance, but that the police officer appeared to be beyond help.
“There didn’t seem to be a sense of urgency to get him out of the car,” she said.
A man sat next to the grain truck, his head in his hands. He seemed to want to be alone and was not looking at the wreckage.
Detachments in both Leduc and Wetaskiwin are involved in the investigation.
Highway 2A remains closed to traffic between Millet and Township Road 472 south of the town. .
Premier Ed Stelmach expressed his sadness in a statement issued from Geneva, Switzerland, where he is speaking at an economic forum.
“I am very saddened to hear of the passing of this RCMP member,” Stelmach said. “The men and women who wear the uniform of the RCMP are a source of pride in Alberta. The loss of one of our peace officers in the line of duty is mourned by the entire community. My thoughts and prayers go out to the member’s family and friends, and his colleagues in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, during this tragic time.”
Solicitor-General Fred Lindsay also expressed his sympathies in a statement on Tuesday.
“This sudden and tragic death is a sobering reminder of the dangers police and peace officers face every day when they put on their uniforms, say goodbye to their families and walk out the door,” Lindsay said. “Every day, RCMP members and police officers across this province put themselves at risk in the line of duty to protect and serve Albertans … They are true heroes. Often this is a thankless job, and today, as we saw, a dangerous task as well.”
Lundblad isn’t the first Mountie to die on duty on central Alberta roads. Const. Jose Agostinho, 45, was killed in 2005 when a truck driver slammed into the back of his cruiser while he was parked at the side of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. He was helping direct traffic around a rollover between Wetaskiwin and Leduc.
On June 10, 2003, Strathcona County RCMP Const. Ghislain Maurice died when his unmarked police vehicle was struck by an empty gravel truck on Highway 21 near Township Road 514.
Maurice, who was catching speeders, was attempting to make a U-turn when he was struck by a gravel truck that had been following his Chevrolet Caprice.
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