A semi truck that landed on a property in the Dallas neighbourhood of Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Jodi Barker Jeffrey
October 09, 2021 - 6:09 PM
When a semi-truck went over a ditch and landed on its side outside a home on the outskirts of Kamloops last week, it was all too familiar to Jodi Barker Jeffrey.
The Oct. 4 crash was the second time in two years and this one came close to her home and a popular walkway.
“It landed in my backyard during the night,” she said. “My husband and I wondered if it would catch on fire but it seemed like this one was refrigerated and we think we could hear the fridge going. The worst case scenario is someone gets hit while walking on the trail. It is super scary.
"We need to get some barriers put in place before someone gets killed."
Jeffrey said she is trying to raise awareness of the issue and get rumble strips and barricades up due to the potential risks to residents.
“The biggest concern is there is a public walkway in my backyard and the latest crashed semi almost hit it," she said. "There is no barricade from the end of Harper Road to the soccer fields where they put the dog park."
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As bad as it was, the first one, two years ago, was worse. Jeffrey said the first truck took out a power line and broke through a fence on the walkway.
“It was leaking gas and a liquid it was carrying,” she said. “It seemed like a giant fire hazard. It took two months to clean up the waste. At the time RCMP told me the driver either fell asleep or was reaching for his phone.”
Jeffrey said the recent crash was removed more quickly with less incident, but it landed closer to her house and walkway.
After the first incident she made phone calls, attempting to engage the city, but highway improvements are not a city issue, they fall under the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The ministry had no response to questions from iNFOnews.ca, and MLA Todd Stone has not yet responded.
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