A carrier was fined and grounded after one of its trucks hit the roof of the George Massey Tunnel midspan.
The incident, which took place at night on Jan. 10, was reported to Richmond RCMP by a driver who witnessed the truck coming to a stop after hitting the roof before it continued driving.
On Friday morning, Richmond RCMP announced the driver, a 30-year-old man from Surrey, was issued a violation ticket for failing to remain at the scene of a collision.
The carrier he worked for received an immediate suspension from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure's (MOTI) commercial vehicle safety and enforcement (CVSE) officers pending police investigation, which grounded all 20 vehicles in its fleet. It was then fined a total of $2,371 and had to submit an action plan for safely transporting oversized loads before CVSE lifted the suspension on Jan. 19.
Police explained the truck and its driver were not present when police arrived but the driver and the carrier were identified thanks to dashcam footage from a driver.
The incident caused "considerable traffic-related issues over a wide area," said Richmond RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
"Evidence was discovered suggesting that the tunnel had sustained damage and needed to be immediately closed until a thorough structural assessment could be completed by MOTI."
CVSE will continue to monitor the carrier, and "new, high fines and lengthy suspensions" are being implemented to avoid collisions involving overweight vehicles, Hwang added.
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