Investigators are blaming a blown tire for a fiery crash that killed a truck driver and father and shut down Highway 99 in Delta Wednesday.
The crash killed 32-year-old father of two Ravinder Atwal, according to the truck owner Shimmy Walia of Mid-Valley Sand and Gravel.
"We are just...there are no answers for this," Walia told CTV News. "He was a very good driver. He never had an accident."
Witnesses reported seeing the tandem-axle commercial gravel truck wobble and lose control before it jack-knifed over a median and struck a van, bursting into flames.
Police now say other witnesses have come forward stating that they saw a tire on the truck blow just before it lost control.
“Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement has confirmed there was a mechanical failure,” said Deas Island RCMP spokesman Sgt. Lorne Lecker.
Commercial vehicle inspectors performed an inspection of the truck at the scene and are now looking at the truck’s maintenance history, Lecker said.
No criminal charges are being pursued at this time, he said.
The crash forced the closure of the highway for nearly 12 hours.
Atwal had been driving with Walia for about two years, he said, and had experience driving at least six years before that, Walia said.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation told CTV News the company has a satisfactory rating and the 2014 Kenworth truck passed inspections in May and July last year.
The tires were purchased with the vehicle, Walia said.
Lecker criticized some drivers who appeared to be filming they fiery wreckage as they passed by.
“As they’re going by they all want to take a souvenir video, and they’re all holding their cameras up, saluting the crash scene going by,” he said. “It’s creepy.” he said.
Lecker said the behaviour is common at crash sites, and police will attempt to charge those people with distracted driving when they can.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Jon Woodward
