Semis collide, driver critical

A truck driver suffered critical injuries in a chain-reaction collision involving two semis on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Revelstoke Thursday night.

A westbound tractor trailer jackknifed near Canyon Hot Springs about 9:30 p.m., blocking the two eastbound lanes and part of the westbound lane, police say.

The driver, a 33-year-old Ontario man, and his passenger, a 31-year-old woman, were standing by the front of their trailer when an eastbound plow truck arrived on scene.

While attempting to avoid the wreck, the trailer of another westbound transport truck separated from its tractor and collided with the first trailer, says Staff Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky with the Revelstoke RCMP.

The impact forced the driver into the blade of the plow truck, where he became partially pinned beneath the trailer and the blade of the plow.

The first trailer split in two during the collision.

Firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to the scene, and the pinned driver was extricated and taken to hospital with critical injuries. He was expected to be transported to a larger centre for additional medical care. The passenger suffered what are believed to be relatively minor injuries.

Conditions were slushy and snowing at the time. 

The collision closed the highway for several hours. It reopened about 5 a.m.