'Completely preventable': Wheel flies off dump truck on B.C. highway, striking SUV head-on

A dump truck driver has been handed more than $700 in fines after one of his wheels detached and flew into the front of an oncoming SUV in B.C.’s Fraser Valley on Thursday.

The alarming incident unfolded shortly before 11 a.m. on Highway 1, between Abbotsford and Chilliwack, and left the SUV's hood mangled.

B.C. Highway Patrol said the SUV driver – an elderly woman – did not appear to have serious injuries, but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

A second wheel from the same dump truck came loose, but did not cause serious damage to any other vehicles.

“This was completely preventable with a proper pre-trip inspection,” Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a news release. “B.C. Highway Patrol has a low tolerance for commercial vehicles that are not properly maintained.”

Along with officers from the province’s Commercial Vehicle and Safety Enforcement branch, the RCMP charged the dump truck driver with the Motor Vehicle Act offences of making a false or deceptive pre-trip statement, and driving a non-compliant vehicle.

Together, those violations carry $707 in fines.

There is no indication the driver – a 60-year-old Delta resident – was impaired or distracted at the time of the incident, authorities said.

In addition to the fines, McLaughlin said the 10-year-old dump truck was “removed from the road and ordered to undergo a complete, mandatory inspection and repairs at the truck company’s expense.”

Authorities did not name the company, but said it is based in Delta.