Lumber truck rollover closed northern Ont. highway for most of the day

Over 400 deaths on roadways in 2023 Grim numbers were released by OPP Tuesday, showing that 2023 saw the most traffic-related deaths in a single year since the early 2000's.

Provincial police in northern Ontario investigated a large single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Highways 522 and 524, also called Farley’s Corners, in Pringle Township on Friday.

July 12 shortly after noon, members of the North Bay Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment were notified of the collision.

“Through investigation, (police determined) the driver had pulled over because of a trailer issue,” said the OPP in a social media post.

“The shoulder gave way due to the weight of the fully loaded lumber truck and as a result, the truck rolled over.”

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident – however, the highway was closed for most of the afternoon to allow officials to remove both the vehicle and the lumber safely.

“OPP would like to remind motorists, should you have safety concerns while operating any vehicle on the highway, slow down, utilize hazard lights if needed, assess traffic conditions and visibility of oncoming and approaching motorists. Look for a safe place to pull over while considering the solidity of the shoulder with the weight you are transporting,” said police.

This comes after the OPP released grim numbers earlier this year showing provincial police investigated 77,076 collisions in 2023 – 8,622 of which involved transport trucks.

"The data paints a grim picture of how commercial and non-commercial drivers have been sharing the road," said police in their news release.

The OPP went on to say that 20 per cent of fatal collisions in its jurisdictions involved transport trucks in 2023 with 86 per cent of the crashes were caused by non-commercial drivers and only 14 per cent being the fault of commercial ones.

“Drive safe (and) pay attention,” added police at the end of their post.

With files from CTV News Ottawa journalist Toula Mazloum and CTV News Kitchener’s Hannah Schmidt