Dashcam shows semi-truck using a tow truck as a ramp
By: -----
British Columbia, CA - An Alberta man has been sentenced for a 2023 roadside accident in which a tractor trailer did not “slow down and move over” and instead drove up the back deck of a tow truck with flashing lights and flipped, shutting down three lanes of traffic near Field, B.C.
Dalvir Singh Jhattu was sentenced to a six-month conditional sentence this month, and issued 90 days of house arrest, a year-long Canada-wide driving ban, and a number of conditions that require him to avoid alcohol, drugs and other intoxicating substances.
The crash was captured by dashboard cameras from inside the tractor trailer, the tow truck and a police vehicle, footage of which was released Monday when police announced the sentence against Jhattu.
According to RCMP’s highway patrol, a tow truck operator had pulled over on Dec. 8, 2023 just after 9:30 p.m. to take away a Mercedes impounded for excessive speeding on Highway 1, just west of Field in Yoho National Park.
In the released footage, the tractor trailer can be seen driving toward the tow truck but does not appear to be slowing down. The tow truck, which has its back deck lowered, had flashing amber lights to warn drivers to slow down and move over.
In an instant, the tractor trailer can be seen driving up the back of the tow truck like a ramp, crushing the tow truck cab and the Mercedes.
Footage from inside the tow truck shows the lights of the tractor trailer coming from behind and glass shattering as the cab is crushed almost instantly. Police footage shows an officer getting out of a cruiser and checking to ensure the tow truck and Mercedes drivers are OK before calling for backup. The officer can be seen running toward the flipped tractor trailer and speaking with the driver to check for injuries.
Photos of the tow truck show the passenger cab flattened from behind.
“Luckily the tow truck operator, the police officer, and the Mercedes driver were safely off to the side of the road, or they would certainly have been killed,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with the highway patrol. “The tractor-trailer driver could easily have died as his truck rolled over and he became trapped.”