A serious crash along Highway 97 sent one man to hospital and forced another significant stretch of highway to close.
Police said “initial information at scene suggested a pickup truck travelling south on Highway 97 crossed the double solid line and sideswiped a tanker truck, which included a diesel fuel tank. This resulted in a diesel spill.”
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Police said the pickup truck driver was transported to the Kelowna General Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Last Friday, three people were killed in another crash involving two commercial transport trucks. The trucks collided head-on and caught fire about six kilometres west of Princeton.
The highway was closed for nearly 16 hours.
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“Closures due to crashes of any kind, whether they involve commercial vehicles or not, is costly and unnecessary,” said B.C. Highway Patrol Cpl. Mike Halskov.
“We want goods and services to flow back and forth but we don’t want people to compromise their safety.”
According to RCMP, there have been eight serious accidents involving commercial vehicles on B.C. highways over the past couple weeks.
“Commercial drivers, we understand the pressure for getting your goods where they need to go but do not compromise safety,” Halskov said.
With ongoing highway closures due to flooding, police are reminding drivers that alternate routes will see increased commercial vehicle traffic.
“Be extra vigilant, especially to those drivers who are coming from out of province or to our commercial drivers that are not familiar with our roads. Please drive with ease,” Halskov said.
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Halskov added that road conditions can change quickly and without warning.
“Winter is here in many parts of B.C. and with that comes some challenging driving conditions, especially in some mountain passes,” he said.
“Be prepared and put safety first.”
