Car slides 50 metres along Crowchild ramp before plunging off in flames, killing driver

A car slammed into a concrete barrier, slid along it for 50 metres, burst into flames and plummeted into a southwest Calgary community on Monday morning, killing the driver and injuring the passenger.

Police say the 1997 Chevrolet Luminawas travelling south on Crowchild Trail S.W. around 1:45 a.m. and the driver exited onto the ramp to eastbound Glenmore Trail.

The driver didn't make the turn and that's when the car crashed into the barrier and slid along it, elevated above Glenmore and the community of Lakeview.

According to the police news release, the car eventually went over the barrier,landed on a grass slope and slid while on fire into a tree. It was completely engulfed in flames.

"A female passenger was removed from the vehicle by a witness. However, the driver succumbed to their injuries inside the car," said police in the release.

"The gender and identity of the driver remains unknown at this time."

Earlier on Monday, police said both the driver and the passenger who was taken to hospital in serious condition were women in their20s.

Police said alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the crash.

The ramp was closed to traffic during Monday's morning commute, snarling traffic in the area, but all lanes were open by late morning.

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