'Never seen them stuck on there': Transport truck lands on highway median in Campbell River, B.C.
A commercial truck driver escaped serious injuries after the rig he was driving ended up on top of a concrete barrier Wednesday morning in Campbell River, B.C.
The southbound rig, owned by GFL Environmental out of Cumberland, B.C., wound up on the barrier that divided Highway 19 between Willis Road and 14th Avenue in Campbell River after the driver apparently experienced a medical issue.
"I talked to the driver and he was choking and trying to stay in his lane, and the truck obviously hit the 'no-post' and climbed up on there and ruptured a fuel tank," said a commercial driver who was stuck in the highway closure.
The accident shut down two northbound and two southbound lanes for several hours as crews dealt with a fuel spill along the highway and tried to figure out how to remove the rig from its unusual location.
The stuck transport truck is pictured in Campbell River, B.C. Aug 10, 2022. (CTV News)
Don Bachmier, road foreman for Mainroad Contracting’s Campbell River region, says the fuel was contained to the highway and didn’t make it into nearby drainage ditches.
"We’ve got a fuel spill that we’re responding to with the local fuel response team and we have both lanes [closed] due to that," he said. "We can’t let anybody track that fuel down the road more than necessary."
On Wednesday morning, Bachmier said the plan was to eventually open up the slow lanes in both directions before being able to fully clear the rig – an operation that was expected to take between four and eight hours at a minimum.
Removing the truck was made more difficult because the rig was located underneath power lines which crossed over the highway.
"With the power lines here we won’t be doing any lifting at all, we’re going to have to be doing some pulling with the big wrecker," he said.
The truck was empty at the time of the crash and Bachmier says the spot it ended up was highly unusual.
"I’ve never seen them stuck on there, they usually go over or through [the barrier]," he said. "I’ve never seen them stuck on the middle."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.