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Truck Accidents on the Rise in Calgary: Analyzing the Latest Data and Trends

Calgary, a city in Alberta – is experiencing an alarming rise in truck accidents. As more goods travel through our streets – the number of truck-related incidents has increased.
This blog examines the latest data, trends, and factors contributing to this concerning rise. By understanding the situation – we can work towards safer roads for everyone.
If you find yourself involved in a truck accident – consulting with a Calgary truck accident lawyer can help you handle the legal complexities and get the compensation you deserve. But make sure you choose the right Calgary Canada truck accident law firm.
The Current State of Truck Accidents in Calgary
Commercial trucking accidents are a big issue in Canada. Recent statistics reveal a troubling trend.
From 2016 to 2020 – there were 1,881 fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles – across the country.
In 2022, there were – 1,931 fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles – across Canada.
Auto accidents in Alberta 
The number of traffic deaths went up by 8.1% – from 235 in 2020 to 254 in 2021.
Traffic injuries increased by 10.6% – rising from 11,844 in 2020 to 13,097 in 2021.
Traffic collisions rose by 5.5% – from 95,001 in 2020 to 100,231 in 2021.
The most fatal accidents happened in July – while most injuries occurred in December.
Male drivers aged 18 to 19 were the most involved in accidents.
The main causes of accidents included – following too closely, making unsafe left turns, and driving off the road.
People using seatbelts had a much lower injury rate (7.4%) than those who didn’t use them (14.5%).
Now, let’s take a look at auto accidents in Calgary
There were 2,633 injury collisions in Calgary in 2023 – which is 219 more than the previous year.
In 2023, 437 people were seriously hurt in motor vehicle accidents in Calgary.
In the first 10 months of 2023 – 19 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the city.
Note:
If you find yourself involved in a truck accident – consulting with truck accident lawyers in Calgary can help you understand your rights.
Recent Truck Accidents in Calgary
Recently, Calgary has witnessed some tragic truck accidents.
In one incident – a semi-truck carrying around 95 cattle crashed on a highway ramp. This resulted in the deaths of 17 cows. The driver lost control on the curved ramp – causing the truck to roll over and end up in a ditch.
In another serious accident – four people died when a grain truck collided with an SUV on a rural highway east of Calgary. The SUV reportedly rolled through a stop sign – leading to the crash. The truck driver survived with minor injuries.
Analyzing the Data
A deeper look into the data reveals several key factors driving this increase. According to the Calgary Police Service – the most common causes of truck accidents include.
Driver error
A significant number of accidents result from human mistakes. Distracted driving – speeding – and fatigue are common culprits. Truck drivers, often under pressure to meet deadlines – may overlook safety measures.
Weather conditions
Calgary’s unpredictable weather can also contribute to accidents. Slippery roads due to – rain, snow, or ice increase the chances of losing control. Drivers must adapt to these changing conditions to maintain safety.
Inadequate training
Some truck drivers lack proper training. New drivers may not fully understand how to operate large vehicles safely.
Road conditions
Poor road maintenance can lead to accidents. Potholes, debris, and insufficient signage pose risks for all drivers – especially for larger trucks.
Increased truck traffic
The rise in e-commerce has led to more delivery trucks on the roads. With more trucks comes a greater likelihood of accidents. As online shopping continues to grow – so will the number of trucks.
Where Do Truck Accidents Happen in Calgary?
In Calgary – truck accidents can take place in various locations due to the city’s complex road systems and heavy traffic.
Traffic intersections
Highways and freeways
Construction zones
Retail and commercial areas
Roundabouts
Residential areas
Industrial zones
Steep grades and inclines
If you have been injured in a truck accident at any of these locations – seeking help from experienced truck accident lawyers in Calgary can provide guidance on your rights and options.
Common Types of Truck Accidents in Calgary
Truck accidents can take various forms – often due to negligence from drivers or trucking companies. Here are some of the most frequent types of truck accidents in Calgary.
Rollover accidents
Truck underride collisions
Jackknife accidents
Hazmat incidents
Mechanical failures
Wide turn accidents
Tire blowouts
Blind spot accidents
The Impact of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents have far-reaching effects. They result in severe injuries – significant property damage – and fatalities.
The aftermath of an accident can be devastating for victims and their families. Medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages – create a heavy financial burden. Moreover – these accidents can also lead to emotional trauma, affecting the victims long after the incident.
Common injuries from truck accidents in Calgary
Fractures
Burns
Whiplash
Crush injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Internal injuries
Lacerations
Traumatic brain injuries
Besides physical injuries – many accident victims also experience emotional trauma, such as – post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The psychological impact can be just as significant as physical injuries.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a truck accident – it’s crucial to consult with a Calgary Canada truck accident law firm who can help navigate the complexities of your situation.
Strategies for Improvement
Addressing the rise in truck accidents requires a multi-faceted approach. Here are some strategies that could help improve safety on Calgary’s roads.
Better driver training
Regular vehicle maintenance
Public awareness campaigns
Improved road infrastructure
Use of technology
The Role of Law Enforcement
Law enforcement plays an important role in addressing truck accidents. Increased patrols in high-traffic areas can deter reckless driving. Additionally, enforcing regulations on truck operation, such as – weight limits and driving hours – can improve safety on the roads.
Regular checkpoints for trucks can ensure compliance with safety regulations. These checks can help identify unqualified drivers or unsafe vehicles before they cause accidents.
Contact a Calgary Canada Truck Accident Law Firm
If you’ve been involved in a truck accident – it’s important to seek legal help. Contacting a Calgary Canada truck accident law firm can provide you with the support you need.
Truck accidents can lead to serious injuries and complex legal issues. The truck accident lawyers in Calgary understand the local laws – and regulations surrounding these cases. They can help you deal with the legal process and make sure you receive the compensation you deserve.
When you work with a Calgary Canada truck accident law firm – you benefit from their expertise in handling truck accident claims. These lawyers will –
Investigate the accident
Gather evidence
And negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf
Having experienced truck accident lawyers in Calgary by your side can make a big difference in the outcome of your case. Don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance to protect your rights – and get the help you need after a truck accident.

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At 104, Besse Gurevich last original resident of Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence

By MYRON LOVE At 104, Besse Gurevich is the last of the original residents of Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence. She may also be the oldest member of our Jewish community.
Although her vision and her hearing have diminished considerably, her mind and memory are still intact.  A few weeks back, this writer sat down with her in her suite as she recalled a life filled with highs and lows and her many  contributions to her community, both in Winnipeg and Fort William before that.
The daughter of Jack and Rebecca Avit, her life’s journey began in 1921 in a home on Carlton Street near Ellice Avenue, near her father’s furniture store.  He later operated a cap factory.
When she was ten, the family – she had two brothers and a sister – moved to Manitoba Avenue in the old North End. “My father had put a deposit down on a house on Scotia,” she recalls.  “But my parents didn’t feel that the neighbourhood was Jewish enough.”
Her schooling included Peretz School and, like so many of her generation, St. John’s Tech (as it was known back then.)  “I was actually supposed to be going to Isaac Newton for high school,” she says.  We were living on the wrong side of the tracks for St. John’s.  After one day at Isaac Newton, I found a way to transfer to St. John’s.”
In 1940, 19-year-old Bessie Avit married Jack Gurevich, a young man from Fort William.  The wedding was marred though, by the sudden, untimely passing of her father.
Following the wedding, Besse moved with her new husband to Fort William where Jack Gurevich worked in retail clothing sales.  “We lived in Fort William for 20 years,” she says.  “Our three children (Judy, Richard and Howard) were born there.”
She recalls that there were about 200 Jewish families – including her sister and one of her brothers for some years – in town, during the time she lived there. “We were very well known in the community,” she recalls. “I was involved in everything.”
Her community activism continued after the family’s return to her home town. While Jack went to work as a salesman for Western Glove Works, Besse became an indefatigable community volunteer. At one time or another, she served as vice-president of ORT, Hadassah and National Council of Jewish Women in Winnipeg. She was also a long time B’nai Brith member.
In the business world, the highlight of her career was the building of Linden Woods.  “I became involved in real estate development for a time,” she recalls. “I was hired by Genstar to develop Linden Woods.  The company estimated that it would take about 20 years to complete.  I got it done in two.”
She also taught hair dressing for a while. “I worked with many young Jewish brides,” she says.
Recent years have not been kind to Besse Gurevich. Her beloved husband, Jack, died in 2016 – after almost 65 years of marriage.  Older son, Richard, passed away in Vancouver in 2018 and, most recently –six months ago – younger son, Howard, followed.  She notes that there were 200 mourners at Howard’s funeral.
(Howard Gurevich was in marketing for many years before turning his talents to the art world. In recent years, he was best known for Gurevich Fine Art in the Exchange District and his support of local artists.)
Besse Gurevich celebrated her 100th birthday – which took place at the height of the Covid shutdown – quietly. 
While she used to enjoy reading. she is unable to do so any more. She can still listen to television.
And while she has few family members to visit her any more, she does have a group of friends interesting enough from the local theatre scene.  For many years, she was a close friend of the late Doreen Brownstone, one of the leading figures in theatre in Winnipeg for more than half a century.  Besse became part of the group that would visit Doreen every week and, since Doreen passed on three years ago, the members of the group have continued to visit Besse on a weekly basis.  

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Winnipeg author’s first novel gripping tale of romance, action and intrigue, set in 15th century Spain and Morocco

“The Chronos of Andalucia” author Merom Toledano

By MYRON LOVE “The Chronos of Andalucia”, a novel just released by first-time author Merom Toledano, is a historical romance set in late 15th century Spain and Morocco, filled with passion, action, intrigue, unexpected twists and turns – and, of course, with the requirement of any medieval story – a quest.
The easy-to-read, 190 page book follows the adventures of Catalina, a young woman living by her wits on the streets of Granada in the year 1487, (just after the Christian armies of Ferdinand and Isabella had recaptured all of Spain from the Moors) – while trying to evade the agents of the Inquisition, who had murdered her Jewish mother and Christian father 10 years earlier.  She was left with an insatiable desire to learn about astronomy, along with a mysterious map and an astrolabe (an instrument formerly used to make astronomical measurements) – the importance of which will only be unveiled if she can get to the city of Tangier in Morocco.
Early on, there is a reference to Abraham Zacuto, a prominent Spanish rabbi famed for his knowledge of astronomy and astrology.
The action begins when she has a casual interaction with a former Spanish soldier, Diego.  When the forces of the Inquisition approach, she flees with the soldier – who is also her love interest – and who helps her to escape.  They turn for help to a childhood friend of Catalina’s – Roberta, a nun, who helps them on their perilous  journey to Tangier – a journey that includes being captured by pirates, surviving a shipwreck, being separated for a long period of time and, of course, finding each other again and realizing the success of their joint quest.
In his writing, the author paints vivid word pictures of the different characters and beautifully invokes the colour, sights, sounds and scents of the time and the places. 
What I found truly remarkable about the writing of “The Chronos of Andalucia” is that English is not Merom  Toledano’s first language.  The Israeli-born author – he grew up near Haifa – came to Winnipeg with his young family just eight years ago.
“I have had this book in mind for several years now,” says the satellite engineer whose working career takes him to many different parts of the world. 
He notes that he has always felt a connection to Spain, Spanish music and literature – a reflection of his family’s modern origins in that country.  His great-grandparents, he relates, lived in Toledo – hence the family name, Toledano.  His parents lived in Meknes in Morocco while his father attended university in Tangier before making aliyah.
Toledano just published “The Chronos of Andalucia” in April on Amazon. He reports that the book – which is available here at McNally Robinson – has been selling well –close to 100 copies – with orders coming from a bookstore chain in England, a bookstore in Denmark, and one in Italy.
“I have had between 30 and 40 positive reviews so far,” he reports.
Toledano adds that he envisages “The Chronos of Andalucia” to be the first in a series – a la the writer Danielle Steele.  He is already working on a sequel – which is hinted at the end of “The Chronos” and, he reports, he is establishing his own independent publishing operation.        

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Did the Jewish Federation’s stepping in to force the firing of BB Camp co-executive director Jacob Brodovsky lead to the further alienating of many young Jews from the community?

BB Camp logo/former BB Camp co-executive director Jacob Brodovsky

(June 8, 2024) Introduction: We received the following email from a young Jewish Winnipegger re the BB Camp controversy, which we’ve reported on extensively on this website. We thought it important to post the email as a separate piece rather than as an add-on to an article in which we printed other emails from readers expressing their disappointment at what happened to Jacob Brodovsky, the former co-executive director of BB Camp:

Dear Mr. Bellan,

Thank you for once again cutting through the noise with your April 23rd column, “What the sordid BB Camp affair says about our community.” Your clarity and courage in calling out our rush to judgment and our narrowing definition of “Jewish identity” are deeply appreciated, especially by those of us who feel increasingly alienated in Winnipeg.

I also want to share a troubling observation about one of the loudest voices attacking Jacob Brodovsky: theJ.ca. Their articles—bylines like “Ron East” or “TheJ.ca Staff”—are, in fact, almost entirely generated by artificial intelligence. They contain no verifiable sourcing, frequently hallucinate details, and appear to be little more than a far-right newsletter running smear campaigns under the guise of “journalism.” The entire BB Camp series reads like an AI trained on extremist talking points, regurgitated daily to bully our community into silence.

As a young Jew in Winnipeg, I—and many of my peers—are horrified by the transformation we’re witnessing. What was once a warm, progressive community is now dominated by:

Bigots and Bullies: Parents threatening to pull their kids unless the camp bows to extremist demands.

Florida-style Republican Judaism: A narrow, intolerant ideology portrayed as the only “true” Jewishness.

Collapsing Leadership: Our Jewish Federation leaders, including Jeff Lieberman, have shown they lack the vision or backbone to navigate this crisis.

We stand at a dangerous inflection point. Our community is on the verge of a total and irreversible fascist takeover—an outcome no amount of regret or retrospective apologies can undo.

Please consider reading firsthand accounts from community members who have bravely spoken out:

I know this letter is anonymous and won’t be published, but I hope you see it as proof that many of us are desperate for ethical, forward-looking leadership. Thank you again for using your platform to remind us what Jewish community should mean: diversity of thought, compassion for all people, and the moral courage to call out extremism—no matter where it comes from.

This was NEVER a community of far-right Israelis. This is a shame beyond words.

With gratitude and urgency,

A Concerned Young Jew in Winnipeg

Post script: We had heard from many different sources (who all asked to remain anonymous) that the Jewish Federation’s decision to force the BB Camp board to fire Jacob Brodovsky came as a result of pressure from one or more big donors to the Combined Jewish Appeal. We sent an email to Jeff Lieberman, asking Jeff whether the Jewish Federation’s decision to force the resignation of Jacob Brodovsky as co-executive director of BB Camp came as a result of a donor (or donors) to the Combined Jewish Appeal threatening to withdraw their donation(s) this year unless Jacob were fired. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn that Jeff did not bother responding to my request for information.

The Jewish Federation used to advertise elections to its board in The Jewish Post & News for many years, but no longer does so (in the Jewish Post). Instead, it submits a slate of new appointees to its board to members of the current board to be rubber stamped. Is it any surprise that the donors who contribute the most money call the shots for the Federation (which is as its always been. The only difference is the Jewish Federation and the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council before it used to operate with a patina of democracy. Sadly, that is no longer the case.)

We would urge anyone on the Federation board who could give information about what led the board to force the resignation of Jacob Brodovsky to contact us. We would give full anonymity, as we have to the writer of the above letter.

-Bernie Bellan

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