The driver of a stranded semi-trailer truck and a Good Samaritan who had stopped to help are dead after they were struck by a second semi on a busy Alberta highway.

RCMP said a northbound truck and trailer crossed the median and ended up in the west ditch of the Queen Elizabeth 2 Highway in the Innisfail region early Thursday morning.

They said the driver and a motorist who had stopped to offer assistance were standing outside the rig when a southbound semi ran into debris from the first accident and ended up striking both people.

Two people were killed early Thursday morning when a semi-truck hit them as they stood outside another truck that was stuck in the ditch on Highway 2. (RCMP)

The victims — who were Calgary residents — have been identified by friends, social media posts and GoFundMe fundraising campaigns.

Calgary firefighter Brian McAsey wrote on Facebook that his sister, Heather McAsey Anderson, was the Good Samaritan who had just driven his niece to Edmonton and was returning home.

He says he's proud of the way his sister lived and died. Friends of McAsey Anderson hope to raise funds for funeral expenses.

Friends of Elayarajas Balasundrum, the stranded driver, are trying to raise money to return his body to India for a traditional funeral.

The highway's southbound lanes were closed for several hours for an investigation.

Speed, alcohol and road conditions have been ruled out as factors in the collision.