No risk to commuters after driver injured by falling ice at Massey Tunnel, province says
Ministry of Transportation says incident like this has never happened in 50 years of the tunnel's history
A Canada Post driver is seriously hurt after being hit by falling ice on the Richmond side of the Massey Tunnel.
The 49-year-old man from Surrey was alone in the vehicle and driving southbound on Highway 99 when the incident occurred just after 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
"Reports are that a piece of ice fell through the front windshield," said Sarah Morris, a spokesperson for B.C. Emergency Health Services.
"Two ambulances were dispatched to the scene and one patient was cared for by our paramedics and transported to hospital in serious condition."
The B.C. government says it conducted an initial assessment of the tunnel and doesn't believe there is an ongoing risk to commuters.
"The tunnel has been in operation for over 50 years and we've never experienced an event like the one described today," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a written statement.
"However, the ministry takes such concerns seriously and is conducting a full assessment."
The maintenance contractor in charge of the tunnel has driven down all the travel lanes going in both directions and says there is no sign of any similar debris, the statement said.
Southern B.C. has experienced a series of winter weather warnings over the last week, with significant snowfall and below freezing temperatures.
RCMP are investigating to determine the source of the ice and are asking any witnesses, or anyone with dashcam video of the incident, to contact the Lower Mainland Traffic Services at 604-526-9744, citing file 2020-108.
The tunnel is open in both directions.