News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

At about 12:30 this afternoon a fully-loaded sand and plow truck slid off Firdale Drive in the Pine Valley area. The back end of the truck ended up in the ditch on the high side of the bank, with the front end hanging over the bank. Witnesses said that the road was sheer ice under the freshly fallen snow, and when the driver got out of the vehicle he sustained an injury.

A witness said that the man walked what may have been as much as a kilometer and a half to the highway and flagged down a passing motorist. There was evidence of an injury along the path that the plow truck driver took to the highway.

A spokesperson from the company that owns the truck, a sub-contractor to Interior Roads, said that it was an unfortunate incident. “The road was very slippery and he just slid off. He was injured somehow, and although we don’t know specifically how yet, we do not believe the truck rode over him,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve been in contact with the man’s wife and understand that his injuries are minimal – we’re all thankful for that.”

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While the tow truck driver and RCMP were accessing the scene and waiting for a replacement driver to assist in the removal of the plow/sand truck, a gentleman approached them from the upper side of the road and advised that ‘they had less than an hour to remove the blockage, as his daughter-in-law was in labour with contractions 11 minutes apart.’

Cathy Norman spoke with the woman's family shortly after this incident and was told that the woman arrived at the hospital safely and was doing well.  At 4:10pm, Cathy updated Got News Network Inc. that the woman's contractions had slowed and she is now resting at home again.  "I am waiting for ‘the call’ to get to the hospital myself," Cathy explained. “She is my best friend, and I’m so excited, because I get to be in the delivery room with her.”

Residents on Firdale Drive said that they are appreciative of the good job the plow and sand trucks do keeping the road clear, and wish the plow driver the best.

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