Terrifying scene’: Nine-year-old girl dies, three others in critical condition

'Terrifying scene': Nine-year-old girl  dies, three others  in critical  condition after multi-vehicle  crash on Boxing  Day
Fire official  says it could be  'crash of the  year' in terms of  severity
Multi-vehicle crash at Macleod Trail and Southland Drive
Emergency crews work at the scene of a multi-vehicle  crash at the intersection of Macleod Trail and Southland Drive in Calgary on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.  Several patients were  transported to hospital  by ambulance and a  large police presence  was on scene. A tragic  crash has claimed the life of a nine-year-old girl and left three  others in critical condition, Calgary police said Thursday  night.
The girl was the youngest victim  in the multi-vehicle  crash, Calgary police said in a news release, while sending  their condolences to her family and all those  affected by the  tragedy. Earlier in the day, police said the man whose reckless driving  caused a five-vehicle pileup —  just before 10 a.m. at the intersection of Macleod Trail and Southland Drive — fled an attempted traffic stop after allegedly robbing a pharmacy and assaulting the  business owner earlier  in the morning.
"It was a  terrible crash," Scott Campbell,  a CPS duty  inspector, told reporters.  "Thankfully there were no other people involved at  the time, but  our thoughts are certainly  with the families  involved as it is a  truly horrific  scene."
Shortly before the  incident, police initially responded to reports of a  theft and assault at Pharmasave Millrise off James McKevitt Road at  around 9.30am on Boxing  Day.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle on Anderson  Street, but the driver continued  to drive at a high rate of speed. Campbell said at one  point the HAWCS  police helicopter estimated the van was  going 110mph. "Due to the  volume of traffic and the nature of  the traffic at this time of year, no  (ground) search was  conducted," he said.  "Instead, we continued to  pursue this stolen vehicle  by helicopter.
"Approximately 18 minutes  into this traffic  stop, the offender continued to drive dangerously at  a high  rate of speed and ran a red light at Southland and Macleod Trail, colliding with  multiple vehicles, resulting in serious injuries."
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Two injured adults, who were in separate vehicles, were taken to hospital in critical but stable condition, according to Campbell. The two injured  juveniles were  transported to Alberta Children's Hospital in  critical but life-threatening  condition.

Police  have cleared  some of  the traffic on Glenmore Trail and Crowchild Trail to get  the victims to hospital as quickly as  possible.
Five vehicles were involved in the  crash, which  closed the intersection and sections of Macleod Trail and Southland Drive for  most of the  day.
Multi-vehicle crash at Macleod Trail and Southland Drive
Emergency crews work at the scene of a multi-vehicle  crash at the intersection of Macleod Trail and Southland Drive in Calgary on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.  Several patients were  transported to hospital  by ambulance and a  large police presence  was on scene. Two people trapped in their vehicles had to be extricated with  jaws, said Scott Cowan, battalion chief with the Calgary Fire Department. A third person was rescued from a vehicle by  bystanders before emergency  services arrived.
Cowan said this could be "the  crash of the year," in terms of  severity.
"We've seen crashes involving five  vehicles before, but  they're usually  smaller," said the  Battalion Chief. "It's pretty  serious, with  a lot of damage to  most of these  vehicles."
Witnesses and  people involved in the incident described the chaotic scene to  Postmedia.
Paul Donaldson, a British Columbia resident  who was visiting family for the holidays, was driving his brother's Ford Explorer when the truck was hit by another  vehicle. He said he  was driving south on Macleod, waiting to turn left onto  Southland.
"I saw a guy  speeding through  a red light  there. It was  red," Donaldson  said.
"He hit someone and I think the person  who got  hit hit us... .  That's all I remember.  I was  flying... "It happened so  fast."
His brother Jason Donaldson  said: "He's my twin and I  wanted to call him, I wanted to see (if he was  okay) ... I called him and he was just in  an accident.  I'm glad  he's okay, but. it's not the same  thing for  some people.
Multi-vehicle collision  on Macleod Trail and Southland Drive
First responders  are working the scene of a serious multi-vehicle collision on Macleod Trail at Southland Drive in Calgary on Thursday,  December 1. 26, 2024.
Another driver who stopped at the scene  of the incident told Postmedia  that he was in the  Millrise community on James McKevitt Road when he encountered a  gray pickup truck that he said was speeding  erratically.