Truck safety rises, province says

Source: Windsor Star

Despite recent crashes, fatalities drop

ONTARIO - Despite two crashes in recent weeks -- one fatal -- involving huge steel coils coming loose from trucks in the Windsor area, police and Transportation Ministry officials said Monday there is no evidence of increased danger.

Adam Goron, 35, of Dunnville, Ont., was killed Sunday night when his load of sheet metal coil came loose during a collision and crushed his truck cab.

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The deadly crash occurred around 8:10 p.m. Sunday in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 near Tilbury.

Another incident of a steel coil coming loose occurred Nov. 10 in Windsor and nearly claimed the life of R.J. Wilhelm, 34.

A galvanized steel coil rolled off a truck getting off the E.C. Row Expressway on to the northbound Lauzon Parkway exit ramp and crushed his SUV, just missing him in the driver's seat.

Despite growing truck traffic in Ontario, there has been a decrease in fatal collisions involving large trucks over the last 19 years, said Emna Dhahak, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transportation in Toronto.

Between 1988 and 2006, the number of large trucks on the province's roads grew by 58.5 per cent, while the number of fatalities involving trucks dropped by 32.5 per cent, she said.

Ontario has had strict cargo securement rules in place since 2005 when the province adopted the North American Cargo Securement standard.

The province has some of the highest fines in North America for infractions, including fines of up to $20,000 for unsecured loads and suspending the licence of a truck driver whose load is not secured properly for up to 60 days, Dhahak said.

"To help ensure the safety of all road users, MTO enforcement officers continue inspecting trucks for insecure loads," she said.

Ontario Provincial Police also keep a close watch for trucking safety violations and have many enforcement options at their disposal under the Highway Traffic Act, said Essex OPP Const. Shawna Coulter.

A handful of provincial police officers are trained for truck inspection, while others have the option to call MTO inspectors to the scene if they feel a big rig is transporting a load in an unsafe manner, she said.

Fines are left to the discretion of the courts.

Penalties are usually determined based on the number of violations by a driver or company and severity of the infraction.

OPP and the Transportation Ministry also frequently join forces to conduct inspection blitzes at random locations with the last in this area occurring in October.

"We do work together to make sure the roadways are safe," she said.

Coulter said the investigation of Sunday's fatal collision continues.

Goron, a longtime trucker, was described Monday as a fun-loving family man from the small rural town of Dunnville -- which has a population of 12,000 and is located on Highway 3 between the Niagara and Hamilton regions.

He leaves behind his wife Julie and two boys Jacob, 8, and Kenneth, 6.

"Dunnville is a small town and I know a lot of people are in shock that this could happen," said Robin Ferguson of Windsor, a high school friend of Julie's until moving here from Dunnville several years ago.

"It's just a horrible tragedy that these children have lost their father," Ferguson said.

"I'm sure (Julie) is devastated. They were two people meant for each other. They were definitely family people -- all about the kids. He is one of those guys who is always just a big kid himself, always cracking jokes or laughing."

Both the boys have been heavily involved in hockey with the support of both parents, Ferguson said.

"Other than that they are homebodies," she said. "They own a piece of land out in a rural area, they enjoyed their kids, staying home and each other. That's the people that they are -- their family is what they lived for."