Man, woman die following three-vehicle collision involving tractor trailer in Beresford: N.B. RCMP

(Photo courtesy: RCMP)

A man and a woman, both from New Brunswick, have died following a three-vehicle collision involving a tractor trailer in Beresford, N.B., Friday morning.

Chaleur Region RCMP responded to a report of a collision between a tractor trailer and a pickup truck on Highway 11 just after 6 a.m. Friday.

Once on scene, police say officers found that a third vehicle, a small car, was also involved in the collision.

Police believe the collision happened when the driver of the pickup truck, which was travelling southbound, crossed the centre line into the northbound lane of oncoming traffic.

Police say the pickup truck then struck the car head-on, and a tractor trailer, which was travelling northbound, struck the pickup truck.

The driver and sole occupant of the pickup truck, a 53-year-old man from Belledune, N.B., died at the scene.

The driver and sole occupant of the car, a 37-year-old woman from Bathurst, N.B., also died at the scene.

The driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured, according to RCMP.

A garbage truck also sustained minor damage during the incident.

Autopsies will be conducted to determine the man and woman's exact cause of death.

Members of the Beresford Fire Department, Ambulance New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Department of Public Safety, and an RCMP collision reconstructionist attended the scene.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.