The driver of a large commercial truck walked away unscathed after his vehicle crashed through the barrier at the foot of Holmes Street and landed in Hume Park Monday afternoon.
The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. at Holmes and East Columbia streets. The truck driver lost control while travelling east down the hill on Holmes Street, crashing through the intersection and over the barrier into the park, according to police.
No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. Traffic along East Columbia Street was affected both ways.
“Thankfully, no one was injured from this collision,” Sgt. Jeff Scott said in a press release. “The New Westminster Police commercial vehicle unit is currently investigating to determine if there was a mechanical problem with the truck or if it was driver error.”
This isn’t the first time a truck has crashed through the barrier at the bottom of Holmes Street. In April 2011, a cement truck ran a red light on Holmes Street at East Columbia and hit a car travelling east on East Columbia, sending it through the barrier into the park below.
The driver of the car, 26-year-old Mark Holmes, was killed in the collision. He had been on his way to pick up his wife and infant son for a doctor’s appointment.
In 2015, the driver of the cement truck, 47-year-old Burnaby resident Mohammad Abdolmalekpoor plead guilty to driving without due care and attention, a charge under the Motor Vehicle Act. He received a$1,000 fine and was sentenced to a 20-month driving prohibition.
Holmes Street is not a designated truck route, according to the City of New Westminster.
Vehicles weighing more than 10,000 kilograms travelling through or in the city are required to travel on a designated truck route at designated times. Deliveries to locations not along the truck are permitted as long as drivers take the “closest and most direct route between the destination and closest truck route,” according to the city.
Any other deviations must be pre-approved by the city’s engineering department.
New Westminster Police have not said what the truck involved in Monday’s crash was doing on Holmes Street.
The investigation is ongoing.
