Trucking company suspended after Massey Tunnel crash
Posted January 15, 2024 4:08 pm.
Last Updated January 15, 2024 4:11 pm.
The company that owns the truck that hit the George Massey Tunnel last week has been suspended.
The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says its initial probe has determined the truck involved in the Jan. 10 incident belongs to TSD Holdings. As such, the company’s 20-truck fleet has been “grounded until the investigation is complete.”
“This sends a strong message to drivers and carriers that there is no excuse for these crashes, and we are taking every incident seriously,” the ministry said in a statement to CityNews.
“It has never been easier to follow a route to guide the load to travel safely through our highway system and avoid the potential for impact with infrastructure.
Immediate fleet suspensions while an investigation is underway are part of a suite of new enforcement tools to mitigate these types of incidents involving commercial vehicles.”
The Richmond RCMP confirmed it was “actively investigating” the collision, which happened just after 8 p.m. Mounties previously said they had received a call from a person who described seeing the truck “strike the roof” of the tunnel.
“The complainant stated she was driving directly behind the truck when it hit. The truck initially came to a stop inside of the tunnel but after continued driving through,” the RCMP said on Thursday, Jan. 11.
“It has been alleged that after the truck exited the tunnel it pulled over and the driver possibly spoke with an employee from a road maintenance contractor, however, this person has yet to be identified.”
This came after several other crashes involving overpasses and other provincial infrastructure in the Lower Mainland over the past two years.
In December, the B.C. government announced tougher action to reduce such incidents, with increased fines and penalties.
