Police on Vancouver Island are reminding people to clear snow off their vehicles after ice from a delivery truck caved in the windshield of a minivan near Nanaimo Friday afternoon.
No one was injured in the incident that happened in the southbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway near Kipp Road, south of Nanaimo, at about 3 p.m. Friday, when a block of frozen snow blew off the roof of the truck and struck the vehicle behind it.
The ice chunk didn’t penetrate the windshield, but broken glass was sprayed over the interior of the vehicle and its occupants, who were said to be shaken, according to first responders. The minivan was not driveable and had to be towed from the scene.
“There was an infant in the back of the vehicle involved too,” said Ron Gueulette, fire chief Cranberry Volunteer Fire Department. “The guys in the truck probably didn’t even realize it happened.”
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Police say people should clear off their cars before heading out on the road.
“There’s a responsibility upon yourself to make sure that your vehicle is roadworthy and one of those responsibilities it to ensure that there are no objects that will deflect onto other vehicles, such as ice and snow,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “Don’t be part of the problem. Be part of the solution.”
The fine for having an unsecured load on a vehicle, which includes accumulations of ice and snow, is $173, O’Brien said.
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