Police responded on Monday morning to a commercial that lost two wheels.
It happened on Highway 417 near Parkdale Avenue, when an officer from the Ottawa detachment caught a commercial vehicle stopped on the shoulder without two wheels. Police told CityNews in an email they were located about 500 metres behind the vehicle.
“The driver of the commercial vehicle stopped as soon as he realized the loss of his tires,” Constable Jean-Michel Tremblay with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
He said that this incident could have caused severe injury or even death, due to the size and speed at which the wheels were travelling after being detached.
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Police said both the driver and the owner have been charged under the Highway Traffic Act. The driver is to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive by completing the daily inspection and the owner is to make sure it is fit to drive through safety checks, maintenance and inspections.
“Ontario has an absolute liability law for wheel separations, which means you can face penalties if one occurs, regardless of the reason,” Tremblay said.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has opened a separate investigation into the incident and will determine if further charges are needed.
“A Ministry of Transport (MTO) enforcement officer attended the scene and seized the commercial plates due to the vehicle being unsafe,” Tremblay said. “The trailer will require a full inspection before going back on the road.”
The driver and owner face a minimum $2,000 fine but there’s a maximum of $50,000. They were both given court dates at the end of January.