Caught on cam: Tree slams into Courtenay, B.C. bridge
A woman and her son who were watching storm debris float past their Courtenay, B.C. home caught an unusual site on video on Monday as a large tree crashed into the city’s Fifth Street Bridge.
"There was an impressive amount of water coming down the river and there were some pretty big chunks of debris coming down at, it seemed, eye-level because the water level was really high and me and my son were out appreciating it," said Ashley Elise.
Elise says she then noticed a full-sized tree coming around the bend of where the Puntledge River transitions into the Courtenay River. The tree continued into and underneath the Fifth Street Bridge.
"It was coming broadside and I thought maybe it would get stuck at the corner," she said. "But it just kept coming. There was a large volume of water to carry it."
Her cellphone video shows the tree coming into contact with scaffolding that was in place underneath the bridge, which was being used as part of the structure’s revitalization project.
Elise says there were workers on the bridge at the time of the incident, some of whom saw the tree coming towards them.
"I just kind of hoped for the safety of the people on the bridge," she said. "It looked like they had their cameras out, you could hear them in the beginning of my video like, "Woah look at that, it’s coming,'" she said.
The city says its initial inspection indicated only negligible damage was done to the scaffolding.
"Structural integrity has been subsequently confirmed by a competent and qualified scaffold tradesperson as meeting CSA Scaffold Standards for continued access," the city said in a statement.
The city says no workers were accessing the underside of the bridge at the time of the contact.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.