The wheel flies off the dump truck on the highway. 1, hit an SUV head-on

A dump truck driver was fined more than $700 after one of his wheels came loose and hit the front of an oncoming SUV in the Fraser Valley, in British Columbia, Thursday.

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

The BC Highway Patrol said the driver of the SUV – 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 any serious damage to other vehicles.

“This could have been avoided with a proper pre-departure inspection,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a press release. “The BC Highway Patrol has a low tolerance for commercial vehicles that are not properly maintained. »

Working with officers from the Provincial Safety and Commercial Vehicle Branch, the RCMP charged the driver of the dump truck with offenses under the Motor Vehicle Act for making a false or misleading statement before departure and having driven a non-compliant vehicle.

Together, these violations result in fines of $707.

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 “taken off the road and ordered to undergo a full and mandatory inspection and repairs at the trucking company’s expense.”

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