B.C. suspends 2 companies involved in recent overpass strikes
Two companies that were allegedly involved in overpass strikes in B.C.'s Lower Mainland this week have been suspended pending separate investigations into what happened.
The government identified the companies as Inline Propagators Ltd. and Railport Transport Ltd.
Inline Propagators was suspended after a cube truck struck a pedestrian overpass in Stanley Park on Monday, while Railport Transport was suspended after a semi struck the Rice Mill Road overpass near the George Massey Tunnel on Tuesday.
The crashes are being investigated by the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch.
According to the B.C. government website, there have been eight overpass strikes reported so far this year alone. The investigations into five have been completed, with each ultimately being blamed on driver or carrier error.
The report on one such accident, which took place on Jan. 2 along Highway 1, indicates the driver "failed to follow (the) permitted route." A different driver involved in a Jan. 15 crash along the same highway measured the vehicle "incorrectly" prior to obtaining a permit.
In two of the incidents, the driver or carrier involved had no permit at all.
Earlier this month, B.C. officials introduced stiffer penalties for drivers found responsible for damaging provincial infrastructure – including fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to 18 months, or both.
Those penalties would only apply to drivers who are charged and convicted in court, and would be at the discretion of the judge.
The B.C. government previously confirmed the pedestrian overpass in Stanley Park that was struck this week is not provincial property.
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