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3w ago

Cree Cellist and Composer Cris Derksen, 45, Dies in Alberta Head-On Crash

Arts groups across Canada are mourning the Juno-nominated Cree composer during an RCMP probe of the Highway 44 crash.

Cellist and composer Cris Derksen, performing at the Winspear on Thursday night with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Curtis Perry
Cris Derksen
Cris Derksen from northern Alberta was known for blending classical music, Indigenous influences and electronic sounds.
Cris Derksen, 45, died in a car accident while returning from her father's funeral near Slave Lake, Alta. On Friday, May 15, around 6:32 pm, Slave Lake RCMP were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 44 near Township Road 684.

Overview

  • Derksen was killed Friday in a head-on collision on Highway 44 near Slave Lake while returning from her father’s funeral in northern Alberta.
  • RCMP said a northbound SUV crossed the center line and hit the southbound SUV carrying Derksen, and an EMS crew pronounced her dead at the scene.
  • Fire crews cut both drivers from their vehicles and took them to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, and Derksen’s wife, Rebecca “Bobby” Benson, remains in intensive care.
  • Witnesses reported the northbound SUV was traveling at high speed before the crash, and RCMP said they have no evidence that drugs or alcohol were factors.
  • Local officials and residents say the two-lane stretch lacks passing lanes and has seen multiple recent fatal collisions, and they are renewing calls to upgrade or twin the road.