A man has been found guilty of dangerous driving after he failed to slow down his semi-truck and trailer, and went up the ramp of a flat-deck tow truck, crashing into the driver’s cab and a Mercedes that was also on the shoulder.
The RCMP BC Highway Patrol says that the driver of the big rig failed to obey the flashing amber lights on the tow truck and did not move his vehicle over, causing the crash.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!
Cpl. Michael McLaughlin says that the incident occurred on Dec. 8, 2023, around 9:30 p.m. on Highway 1, west of Field, at the eastern border of the province, near Yoho National Park.
At the time of the crash, the tow truck was dealing with the impounded Mercedes. Miraculously, no one died.
“Had anybody been inside that tow truck, and that is what we would commonly expect on a cold December night, as somebody to be waiting inside the tow truck to stay warm, they would have almost certainly died,” McLaughlin told 1130 NewsRadio.
He adds that the semi-truck driver could have also easily died.
Police have released footage of the incident to show drivers what could happen if they disregard the law around slowing down and moving over when an emergency vehicle has its lights flashing.
“We want everybody to see that these are not just words on a page. This is not some abstract concept,” McLaughlin explained.
“Slow Down, Move Over is something simple you can do to save and preserve the lives of emergency and maintenance workers on your highways.”
The law says that when flashing amber or red and blue lights are present, drivers have to slow down to under 70 km/h when the speed limit is over 80 km/h and have to move to the farthest safe and legal driving lane away from the flashing lights and emergency responders.
The RCMP has released footage of the December 2023 crash now, since the trial of the semi driver has concluded this month.
“It is captured so well on video, and now that the trial and sentencing have just concluded, we can share it with the public.”
Among other penalties, the 38-year-old Alberta driver received a six-month conditional sentence order, a 12-month driving ban, and 90 days of house arrest.
