Border-bound visitors blocked on Freeway 99 after truck hits overpass

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A B.C. trucking firm has had its licence suspended by the province after one among its semi-trailer vehicles slammed right into a Freeway 99 overpass in Delta.

Transport Minister Rob Fleming says it’s the sixth such crash involving Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. up to now two years.

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Fleming says the Industrial Car Security and Enforcement department has suspended the agency’s security certificates, placing its complete fleet of 65 vehicles off the street as of 4:30 p.m. Friday.

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Transport Ministry communications supervisor Rob Duffus says an preliminary evaluation seems to indicate “important injury” to the 112 Road overpass.

The crash simply after midday on Thursday shut down each lanes of Freeway 99 in addition to the overpass.

B.C. Emergency Well being Providers says one particular person was taken to hospital by ambulance in secure situation.

It’s the newest in a rash of overpass collisions that prompted the province to unveil harsher penalties for firms and drivers with repeat offences earlier this month.

“This suspension is a results of the corporate’s unwillingness or incapability to function safely inside the province, following its sixth infrastructure crash in two years,” mentioned Fleming in an announcement.

He added that each the motive force and the provider would face “the hardest fines within the nation” and the end result of the investigation may result in extra motion.

“This must cease. We all know that the overwhelming majority of economic drivers in B.C. function safely and responsibly. Nonetheless, some operators are usually not getting the message,“ mentioned Fleming.

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Chohan Freight Forwarders didn’t instantly reply to an e mail and couldn’t be reached by telephone.

Duffus mentioned the suspension of the agency’s licence to function in B.C., pending the end result of the investigation, “will seemingly price the corporate tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.”

World Information video footage of the scene confirmed what seemed like a development girder embedded within the overpass, whereas images shared on social media confirmed others on the mattress of a truck and laying throughout the freeway.

Delta Fireplace and Rescue Deputy Chief Dave Wooden mentioned the crash additionally brought on a “secondary accident” involving one other automobile, and crews have been known as to the scene at 12:14 p.m.

Duffus mentioned overpass crashes had a “enormous influence: they delay commuters, have an effect on the motion of products and may impede first responders.

“This implies households, companies and the economic system all endure.”

On Dec. 14, fines for over-height autos have been elevated to $575, up from $115.

The brand new guidelines additionally embrace the requirement for dump-style autos to have in-cab warning gadgets by subsequent June, telling drivers if their trailer hasn’t been lowered.

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However Duffus mentioned with CVSE’s new enforcement framework, suspensions may price the provider much more in enterprise than the quantity of the ticket, pending the outcomes of the investigation.

Provincial statistics say as many as 30 bridge strikes have occurred on B.C.’s highways since 2021, with 16 of them reported final 12 months alone.

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