Updated: Fri Sep. 19 2008 16:39:58

ctvwinnipeg.ca

A deer crossing the highway may have led to a head-on crash that killed a man who lives in the Langruth area.

RCMP report that Thursday night a 16-year-old was driving a car north on Highway 50 about five kilometres south of Langruth.

Police say their investigation has led them to believe a deer crossed the highway, and the teen crossed into the other lane to avoid hitting it.

The vehicle collided with another vehicle that was going south. The man inside the southbound vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man who was killed was a paramedic who was returning home from work, according to a news release from the Paramedic Association of Manitoba. The man worked with the Central Region Health Authority.

"A tragedy like this sends shock waves throughout the paramedic community," said Chairman Eric Glass in a news release. "Although we deal with life and death situations everyday, the death of another paramedic killed in such a tragic way is difficult for us all."

The victim was also a member of the Manitoba Paramedic Honour Guard (MPHG). It is a newly formed organization that pay tribute to emergency services workers killed in duty related incidents and accidents.

The Paramedic Association of Manitoba is encouraging paramedics across the province to wear black ribbons on their uniforms in memory of their fallen colleague.

There were four people in the other vehicle. Their injuries are unknown. Police say alcohol is not a factor.

Police are not releasing the victim's name until they notify his family.

Langruth is northwest of Winnipeg, just west of Lake Manitoba north of Portage la Prairie.