Man, 24, charged after truck strikes overhead sign on Hwy. 401 in Whitby
Posted January 6, 2023 8:26 am.
Last Updated January 6, 2023 4:20 pm.
A 24-year-old Brampton man is facing several charges after a truck struck a large overhead road sign, sending it crashing onto live lanes on Highway 401 in Durham Region on Friday.
The sign fell and blocked all westbound lanes of the highway at Brock Street in Whitby around 8 a.m. The lanes reopened just before 11:30 a.m.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says a transport truck with its box raised collided with the overhead structure causing it to “buckle and collapse.”
Police say witnesses spotted the truck driver stopping 100 metres up the road after striking the sign. The driver lowered the box on the truck before exiting the highway at Brock Street.
Just before 3 p.m., Schmidt said police tracked the suspected vehicle to an undisclosed trucking yard and that the collision reconstruction team was also on scene to process evidence.
“At the very top you can see the damaged ladder and you can actually see some blue transfer of paint or material from that sign that was struck,” Schmidt said in a video posted to Twitter.
“Investigation is still ongoing but thanks to the witnesses that called in to give information to assist us in locating this truck.”
Schmidt says the driver of the truck has been charged with careless driving, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, and having an overheight vehicle.
A crane was brought to the scene to help crews remove the downed sign from the roadway. The collapse caused heavy delays and plenty of headaches for drivers during the morning rush.
All westbound lanes from Thickson Road to Brock Street were blocked for hours with traffic being forced off at Thickson and hundreds of vehicles stuck where the downed sign was blocking the road.
No injuries were reported.
In October, a stretch of the 401 was shut down in Mississauga after a dump truck with a raised bed struck an overpass.
The bed of the truck was torn off as a result and became wedged between the overpass and the highway. The driver of the truck was charged.
