A Calgary man is being charged for driving without due care and attention after his tractor-trailer unit struck a turning vehicle, setting off a chain of collisions involving multiple vehicles at the Esso Skyline Truck Stop in Malakwa.
The incident occurred Thursday morning. According to police, the driver of the tractor-trailer unit had been following a vehicle traveling eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway. Const. Pat Pyper reports that as the vehicle in front was turning into the Skyline, the tractor-trailer driver began to pass.
"What happened is the tractor-trailer unit basically lost control and hit the turning vehicle, spinning it around," said Pyper. The tractor-trailer then went into the Skyline parking lot, where it collided head-on with another tractor-trailer unit, whose driver was in the restaurant having breakfast at the time.
That collision wound up pushing the second tractor-trailer around 100 to 200 feet, says Pyper. Though the trailers appeared to be okay, the trucks he says are totaled.
Meanwhile, the initial turning vehicle wound up striking four other vehicles parked in the parking lot. One of those vehicles wound up hitting the edge of the building.
Pyper says there were no serious injuries as a result of the collisions, though one of the truck drivers injured himself afterwards while fixing his truck.
The Ministry of Environment is en route to investigate a resulting diesel spill on the site.
Overall, Pyper says the incident could have gone a lot worse, with the gas and propane tanks in the vicinity.