Truck driver fighting for his life after crashing north of Montreal

A truck driver is fighting for his life after going off the road in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, in the Lanaudière region north of the Island of Montreal.

Emergency services were notified of the crash on Friday at around 8:30 a.m., which had just occurred on a bend in Route 158.

“People are describing how he started driving crookedly before going off the road and ending up in the ditch,” said Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Sergeant Éloïse Cossette.

The impact was so brutal that firefighters had to use jaws of life to extricate the truck driver.

“The truck ended up upside down. The cab on the driver’s side was smashed in,” said Cossette.

The 46-year-old driver was alone in the truck, which was towing a trailer with farmwork equipment. He was taken to hospital, where his condition was still considered critical in the early afternoon.

Route 158 was still closed to traffic in both directions at around 1:30 p.m. at Guilbault Street.

The police carried out an assessment of the scene, but are still working on the case.

“We were at the towing stage in the afternoon, and we had to proceed with caution,” said Cossette.

At first glance, speed and alcohol did not appear to be involved, but the Sûreté du Québec investigation will have to confirm this.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 29, 2023.