WANDERING RIVER - Highway 63, just north of Wandering River, was restricted to a single lane of traffic Jan. 8 after a semi hit the ditch.
An investigation by the Boyle RCMP revealed that snowfall, mixed with the cold and windy weather, caused the cab of a semi to slide into the ditch, with the trailers attached to it blocked traffic in the northbound lane of Highway 63.Boyle RCMP Const. Andrew Deme said one of the trailers was hauling fluid, while the other was a box trailer.
“Nobody was injured as a result of the accident,” Deme explained. “It was about five hours before everything got cleared up, but traffic remained flowing as we were able to keep one-lane alternating traffic open. We were thankful there was not too much for traffic during that cold day.”
He said motorists need to proceed with caution when traveling along the highways.
“When conditions and visibility is poor, we advise motorists to not travel unless it’s urgent,” Deme continued. “If they do decide to travel, they’d be advised to leave ahead of time and expect to have a longer trip than usual. Just because the posted speed limit is 100 km/h does not mean they need to travel that speed. Obeying the road conditions is really important.”
He added if anyone’s going to be traveling for a longer period of time, they should have an emergency kit available in case they need it.
“They include an extra winter coat, socks, blankets and a candle,” Deme said. “I would also suggest they reach out to the person at their destination just so they can prepare for their arrival, especially when we are at temperatures of minus 30 or 40 degrees.”
