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Vernon cement truck slides down ravine injuring driver

Jaws of Life used by crews to extricate driver after vehicle slid down ravine; driver taken to hospital
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BX-Swan Lake Volunteer Fire Department crews navigated a tricky embankment to help free the driver of a fully loaded cement truck that went off Hartnell Road in Vernon’s BX region Friday morning, Feb. 10. Fire crews got the driver to a waiting ambulance where he was transported to hospital with undetermined injuries. (Contributed)

The driver of a fully-loaded cement truck was taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital after the vehicle slid off a road in the BX region Friday morning, Feb. 10.

The incident happened at 8:31 a.m. in the 5700 block of Hartnell Road, a section of road described by attending BX-Swan Lake Fire Department Chief Bill Wacey as “a skating rink.”

“We couldn’t even get all of our trucks up the road,” said Wacey.

The driver was going up Hartnell Road when he turned past a corner and his vehicle started sliding backward due to the road conditions.

The truck slid over the only site where there was a 45-foot ravine. Wacey and his crews have attended incidents at that location in the past, but the chief said it had “been a while,” until Friday morning.

“The vehicle slid off the road, and went down about three-quarters of the way down the embankment,” he said. “The vehicle rolled apparently and crushed the cab. A good chunk of the load was lost out of the back end.”

BX-Swan Lake firefighters were faced with some challenges of getting to the driver, rescuing and getting him and themselves to safety.

“It was a pretty steep embankment and there was three feet of snow on it,” said Wacey. “We used our rope protocols to get him and the crews back out.”

The driver was extricated from the truck with the use of the Jaws of Life.

An ambulance was waiting at the scene and transported the driver to hospital with undetermined injuries.

BX-Swan Lake crews had just finished responding to another medical call when the word came in about the cement truck.

“It was a pretty crazy morning after 8 a.m.,” said Wacey.

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roger@vernonmorningstar.com

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Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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