A 50-year-old Calgary trucker was killed in a crash on the south side of Emory Creek Bridge between Hope and Yale, Monday evening, Feb. 21.
A southbound lumber truck, driven by a 30-year-old Abbotsford man, had just cleared the bridge, when the driver lost control in a curve, crossed over the centre line, and collided head-on with a northbound transport truck loaded in hamburger.
The driver of the second truck was a 55-year-old Surrey man. Both drivers were taken to Fraser Canyon hospital with serious injuries. The passenger, a relief driver in the second transport truck, was killed in the crash.
A third transport truck driver, also hauling lumber, was unable to avoid the two wrecks strewn across both lanes of the highway and plowed into the trailer of the second truck.
Road conditions at the time of the crash were slippery due to the heavy snowfall.
Highway 1 was closed overnight, and was expected reopened to single lane alternating traffic at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Within minutes of the highway being opened at the bottom of Lake of the Woods Hill at Hope, and the line-up of transport trucks cleared, the highway had to be closed for a second time.
Just four kilometres north of the closure gate on American Creek Hill, a transport truck collided with a snowplow. Two other trucks and several private vehicles were also involved in the chain-reaction crash. No serious injuries were reported.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the collision of crash at the Emory Creek Bridge to call lead investigator, Cst. Steve Small, of Fraser Valley Traffic Services, at 604-702-4039.