THUNDER BAY — The driver of a transport truck involved in a high-profile collision on Dawson Road on Sunday faces a charge under the Highway Traffic Act.
Thunder Bay Police have charged a 24-year-old man from Winnipeg with failing to stop for a red light after an incident that sent two people to hospital with minor injuries and caused significant property damage.
The collision occurred just after 10 a.m. at the Dawson Road and Hilldale Road intersection.
Police said Monday that a tractor-trailer entered the intersection against a red light, collided with an SUV crossover, rolled over, went through a fence, and came to rest in the backyard of a home.
The driver of the SUV and a passenger in the transport truck were taken to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for evaluation and treatment of what police believe to be minor injuries.
The outcome could have been much worse.
Tara Gauld, who was at her sister's house on Pine Grove Place adjacent to Dawson Road, looked out the window after hearing a loud noise and saw the truck break through the fence into the backyard.
"I thought the truck was going to drive right into the house," she recalled. "I was trying to think in my mind, do we get out of the house?"
The tractor trailer ended up barely a couple of metres from the residence, where Gauld said a patio is normally in use in the summer.
Sal Carchidi, acting traffic sergeant with TBPS, commented that traffic safety on Dawson Road is a concern not only for community members but for police as well.
"Vehicles need to slow down on Dawson Road. They need to watch for the lights. Just because of the increased traffic on Dawson and having residences so close, it's very crucial that all drivers watch the speed limits as well as the traffic signals," Carchidi said.
He noted that there's also an advance warning light system in that stretch of Dawson, giving drivers a heads-up that the traffic signal is about to change.
"Those lights give approximately eight seconds' warning to prepare for an upcoming change in the light, or to notify that the lights are red, followed by the period of time for the amber light. So any drivers paying attention or being aware of their surroundings should recognize that and be able to stop in a timely manner."
