No Alberta corrections officer had died in transport until Thursday's collision
Two officers and an inmate killed in minivan-truck crash near Provost; first in-custody transport fatality in the province's history.
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Two correctional officers and an inmate died Thursday in a fiery collision near Provost, about 290 km east of Edmonton — marking the first time a corrections officer in Alberta has been killed during a prisoner transport.
Correctional officers Ramandeep Kaur Maan, 25, of Winnipeg, and Nicolae Serban, 57, of Sherwood Park, and Kiara Mooswa, 24, of North Battleford, Sask., the woman they were transporting, died when their Correctional Service of Canada minivan collided with a Hino cargo box truck at the junction of highways 41 and 13 around 11:22 a.m. The truck driver was treated for minor injuries.
The three were en route from the Edmonton Institution for Women to Saskatchewan's Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge when the crash occurred. The RCMP, including a collision reconstructionist, are investigating in partnership with the Edmonton Medical Examiner's Office. James Morton, acting district officer for Eastern Alberta District RCMP, said at a Friday news conference that police won't speculate about the cause until the investigation is complete.
At the Edmonton Institution for Women on Saturday, flowers, sympathy cards, a corrections service hat and dress uniform marked a memorial for Maan and Serban. Mike Reist, a Drumheller corrections officer, said the loss cuts deeper for those in uniform because they work outnumbered in their daily role. "Every shift begins with a simple hope: that everyone makes it home," he said.
Reist described the work officers do beyond prison walls — responding to medical emergencies, fires, self-harm incidents, overdoses and deaths, often as first responders. "We transport inmates to hospitals, medical appointments, and other institutions. We spend countless hours on highways in all weather conditions, knowing that every kilometre carries risks of its own," he said.
While statistically the risk of dying in a motor vehicle accident during prisoner transport is small, a Manitoba case offers precedent: corrections officer Rhonda Commodore, 44, was killed Nov. 6, 2014, when the van she was in transporting six prisoners crashed on a highway near The Pas. She was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
The facts
Who died in the collision near Provost on Thursday, August 8, 2026?
Correctional officers Ramandeep Kaur Maan, 25, of Winnipeg, and Nicolae Serban, 57, of Sherwood Park, and inmate Kiara Mooswa, 24, of North Battleford, Saskatchewan died when their Correctional Service of Canada minivan collided with a Hino cargo box truck.
Where were the officers and inmate traveling when the crash occurred?
They were en route from the Edmonton Institution for Women to Saskatchewan's Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge when the collision happened at the junction of highways 41 and 13 near Provost, about 290 km east of Edmonton.
What is significant about this being the first in-custody transport fatality in Alberta?
This marks the first time a corrections officer in Alberta has been killed during a prisoner transport, making it a historic incident for the province's correctional system.
