Local man dies after truck rolls in B.C.
A Whitehorse man died Wednesday after losing control of the transport truck he was driving on the highway between Fort Nelson, B.C. and Watson Lake.
A Whitehorse man died Wednesday after losing control of the transport truck he was driving on the highway between Fort Nelson, B.C. and Watson Lake.
The 64-year-old commercial truck driver was travelling north on Highway 97, transporting a load of groceries from Edmonton to the Yukon's capital. His tractor-trailer went off the road at the Racing River Bridge, 186 kilometres north of Fort Nelson.
Initial investigations indicate the driver miscalculated the sharp corner just before Racing River and plowed into one of the bridge's main support girders, the RCMP reported Thursday.
The truck – owned by Direct Transport – jumped the guard rail and rolled down the embankment.
It came to a rest next to the frozen river, according to the report; the trailer continued down the slope, spilling its contents across the ice.
No other vehicles are believed to have been involved.
The incident was reported to Fort Nelson police, who responded along with the RCMP's Northern Rockies traffic services, Fort Nelson fire rescue, and the B.C. ambulance services.
The driver, whose name is not being released at the request of his family, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A report of the fatal roll-over was filed at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday.
However, due to the distance the witness and then emergency services had to travel, the actual incident may have happened hours earlier, RCMP spokesman Cst. Craig Douglass said today.
The roll-over is still being investigated by B.C. RCMP and that province's coroners service, Douglass said.
He asked that anyone with any information about the fatal crash contact Fort Nelson RCMP of B.C. traffic services.
Comments (3)
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Kory Tanner on Dec 8, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Coming from a family member of the deceased if you really needed to know who he was so you could grieve, you would have been notified. Also, I just pray that if anyone found anything personal at the accident scene that it will be returned to the family.
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mosi on Dec 7, 2009 at 10:33 pm
An identical accident occurred on Hwy 37
in Northern BC near Yukon boarder about 3-4 years ago. The driver was airlifted to hospital in critical condition but managed to survive OK. But it was the behaviour of the people (both First and non-First Nation) in the local Community
that is a real story. No sooner had the crash occurred, the semi trailer split open spewing groceries, goods and cargo merchandise bound for Alaska from California, the people all rampaged the site (loading up their trucks, vans, SUVs, trailers, snowmobiles, etc. with stuff (Just like a Mad Boxing Day Sale at Wallmart). People fighting with one another (pushing swearing elders aside) etc. - until the RCMP arrived about 1 hour later and secured the site. No regard for the drivers' condition, road safery or even their own. Just like a Western movie on TV- a Mexican Bandidos
Raid. What a sight to behold. Alot of people capitalized on the tradegy to LOAD UP for themselves!
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mosi on Dec 7, 2009 at 4:51 am
Here we go again? The rights of the Family triumph over the rest of us in the Community who would like his identity, so we can share in the grief and loss if any of us knew him. Sad.