Police are searching for a driver who fled the scene of an accident that closed the Trans-Canada Highway for about two hours Wednesday night.
According to police, a Volvo travelling eastbound in the passing lane near Portage la Prairie was struck from behind by another vehicle at about 10 p.m.
Witnesses said the car was travelling at a high rate of speed, swerving from one edge of the lane to the other moments before striking the Volvo. It then continued eastbound without stopping, police said, adding the driver was apparently the only person in the car.
The Volvo was hit with such force that it was sent spinning out of control and into the median ditch where it rolled several times before coming to rest upside down on the edge of the westbound lanes of the Trans Canada. Smoke from the overturned car partially obscured the roadway, resulting in a westbound vehicle slamming into the Volvo.
The driver of the Volvo, an 18-year-old woman from Winnipeg, was able to get out moments before the westbound vehicle being driven by a woman, 62, from the Portage la Prairie area struck the car.
Both women were treated at the scene for minor injuries and released.
The highway was closed to traffic for about two hours while police analyzed the scene.
Police are searching for an older four-door Buick, dark brown or red, with a broken taillight.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact their local police department or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
