Log Truck Driver’s Safety Preparedness Saves Pick-Up Driver from a Fiery Crash

Nov 17, 2020 - 4 years ago

On July 22, 2020 emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle collision near the Nanaimo airport at Cedar Road. At around 6:00am, log truck driver Carl Wilson was hauling his fully loaded truck north on the Trans Canada Highway when he felt a “big bang” at the back of his truck.
After pulling over, Carl soon discovered a pick-up truck had slammed into the back of him and was wedged between the load.
Mosaic Forest Management employee Darryl Slater, was driving southbound at the time and came across the accident just moments after impact.
A fire had started underneath the pick-up’s hood and Carl quickly engaged his on-board safety equipment using his fire extinguisher to exhaust the flames with help from Slater who also assisted using the extinguisher from his own vehicle. Once the flames were under control enough to safely extract the driver, Carl, Darryl and two workers from the nearby Schnitzer Steel Recycling Facility proceeded to assist him to a safe location and administer a first aid assessment. The driver was coherent and apparently uninjured and able to wait for paramedics to arrive.
Carl then decided it was safe to return to the vehicle and attempt to extinguish the flames further. Darryl assisted Carl once he determined the driver was safe and they attempted to extinguish the fire until the extinguishers were exhausted. The fire began to grow shortly afterwards, and people were directed to move back. Emergency services arrived quickly and extinguished the fire completely and the pick-up driver was taken to hospital.
According to a CTV news report, the North Oyster Fire Captain, Kristopher Hill, said Wilson “Definitely saved his life. The scene might have looked a lot different if he hadn’t done what he did.”
Many factors played a part in turning this accident into a good news story. Thanks to Carl’s years of experience, his alertness to his vehicle’s behaviour, his level-headed assessment of
the situation, his quick reaction to access his on-board safety equipment and the teamwork between Carl, Darryl and the two other men from the Schnitzer Steel Recycling Facility, a driver was saved from a life-threatening and potentially fatal incident.