A jackknifed semi closed Highway 5 in both directions on Jan. 6, with the incident occurring only 600 metres from the spot where two people were killed on Dec. 2.
At approximately 7:45 a.m. on Jan. 6, a commercial vehicle carrier from Triple Eight Transport heading southbound near Thuya Creek lost control of its trailer unit, which crossed over the northbound lane and got hung up on the bank. Conditions were reportedly slippery, with slushy snow, at the time. No other vehicles were involved, and the driver of the semi was uninjured.
Donny Kleinfelder, a driver with Barriere Auto and Truck Towing, said “The truck was travelling southbound and somehow ended up in the northbound lane ditch. It was jackknifed. I really don’t know how that guy managed that. It was a really odd situation. He lost control of the trailer but managed to keep the truck up on the road.”
The incident took place approximately 600 metres from where Gordon and Amber Bjorkman of Merritt were killed on Dec. 2 when they were hit head-on by a commercial vehicle in snowy conditions. The couple had been on their way to visit their grown children in Clearwater.
Following the Jan. 6 incident the highway was initially closed in both directions, then reopened to single-lane alternating traffic before recovery efforts closed the highway once more. The highway was fully reopened just after noon.
Clearwater residents Debbie and Roger Mayer told Black Press that they were headed to Kamloops early on the morning of Jan. 6.
”We were probably first or second on the scene. It was scary seeing that. No tow company on scene at that point, about 7:45 a.m. A highways truck was in our lane going south, stopped with lights flashing. We were only going about 80 km/hr with road conditions.
“We were unsure what to do. It was somewhat of a blind corner, so we checked, nothing coming towards us, so went around him to just get around the corner. The semi was completely jackknifed in the corner with the cab heading south but the trailer heading north. It was fully blocking the northbound lane. There was a CVSE (Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement) truck on the road too, with lights flashing. We got by, but not five minutes later a semi going north, we estimated about 100 km/hr, was barreling toward them. We flashed our lights, but he was moving. We just prayed it did not get worse.”
The Mayers are longtime residents of Clearwater: Debbie works for School District 73, and Roger is the manager of the North Thompson Sportsplex operated by the District of Clearwater. Debbie expressed her feelings about seeing yet another highway accident.
“It was terrifying. We were very unsure about going, but Roger had an appointment in Kamloops we have been waiting for. We left the house with a bag packed for being stranded on the road, or having to spend a night away from home. We made plans with our puppy caregiver, that she would keep Max if we did not make it home. I leave a letter out now for our son Jeff, telling him where to find our wills and important papers.
“It is really hard to get in your vehicle and think you may not make it to where you are going or back home. Roger is an amazing, confident, and capable driver. He always slows down and drives to road conditions, (but) the absolutely terrifying scenario is…..what is coming towards you? How capable is that driver in these conditions? Have they slowed for road conditions? It becomes truly frightening travelling to town for appointments or to visit our family in Kamloops.”
