UPDATE 12:50 pm
Drive BC says Highway 97 has reopened.
UPDATE 11 am
Police say the driver of a semi truck was fortunate to suffer only minor injuries after an incident on the highway near Vernon Jubilee Hospital this morning.
Mounties say the semi transporting a load of lumber had to hit the emergency braking system when a vehicle allegedly cut in front of the semi and then stopped for a pedestrian at the crosswalk around 9 am Wednesday.
The sudden stop caused thousands of pounds of lumber to loosen and propel through the driver’s cab.
Here they are lifting lumber off the road and into a truck #vernonbc #bchwy97 pic.twitter.com/97xTLzXy0b
— Vernon Matters (@VernonMattersca) March 6, 2019
“The driver of the semi-truck was very fortunate to have sustained only minor injuries during this incident, given the amount of lumber that shifted and impaled the back of the drivers cab,” says RCMP Cst. Kelly Brett. “This serves as a very good reminder to motorists that large vehicles such as semi-trucks do not have the ability to stop as quickly as smaller vehicles, and cutting in front of such a vehicle can cause significant if not deadly injuries.”
Hospital hill in Vernon is still blocked . Here’s a lumber truck moving out . Crews are still cleaning up the road #BCHwy97 #vernonbc pic.twitter.com/8oonCmJKsO
— Vernon Matters (@VernonMattersca) March 6, 2019
Brett says the investigation into the incident shows all safety requirements were met by the semi-truck, and the cause of the incident was due to the sudden stop caused the other vehicle involved.
The other vehicle did not remain on scene.
Crews now cleaning up northbound lane heading into #vernonbc #BCHwy97 pic.twitter.com/ErJwmPXj6B
— Vernon Matters (@VernonMattersca) March 6, 2019
Police say the highway northbound will remain closed until further notice as crews work to clear the lumber.
Traffic is being detoured off Highway 97 onto 18th Avenue.
9 am
Northbound traffic has been blocked for several hours this morning on Hospital hill coming into Vernon.
A semi carrying a load of lumber lost part of its load just before the pedestrian crosswalk near Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
Traffic is being re-routed through Mission Hill area.
A crane and flagging crew is currently on site to help shift the load.
(Story by Rebecca Barton)
