Runaway Semi Truck Barrels Into 13 Vehicles, Injuring Seven

A semi truck driver who lost control of his rig and caused a massive pile-up is now facing an investigation. It happened on Friday, August 5th, on the Coquihalla Highway near Box Canyon in British Columbia, Canada.

The southbound truck was unable to stop when it collided with 13 other vehicles on the highway.

Witnesses reported that the truck seemed to have lost its brakes, and was sent barreling into nearby traffic.

The damage was extensive.

Witness Chris Bremer explained, “He came flying down the hill behind me. Smoke was flying off his brakes. He couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down.”

By 2:30 p.m., southbound Coquihalla Highway was shut down.

Hundreds of motorists were forced to wait for nearly eight hours until the scene was cleared.

Seven people were hospitalized after the accident. As of Saturday, six of those victims had been released. There were no fatalities. The unnamed truck driver was not reported to be injured.

Officials have not yet confirmed whether the semi truck suffered a brake failure, but they did state that the driver was unable to stop. According to CTV News, investigators have speculated that the truck’s brakes might have been improperly inspected.

The semi truck is scheduled to undergo a mechanical inspection while the driver and witnesses will be questioned to determine exactly what caused the crash.