Police say charges have been laid against a transport truck driver and a Quebec-based commercial vehicle company after a 69-year-old driver was killed by a flying wheel on Highway 400 in York Region in January.
On Jan. 27 at around 9:20 a.m., a transport truck heading southbound on Highway 400 near King Road lost a set of dual wheels.
One of the wheels bounced into the northbound lanes of the highway and struck a vehicle.
Police say the driver struck by the wheel was rushed to hospital where he later died from his injuries.
He has been identified by police as 69-year-old Paul Philip Koenderman.
Police say as a result of their investigation, the driver of the transport truck, 30-year-old Bruno Bergeron, of Quebec, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death.
The owner of the transport truck, Transport Leo Labelle Inc., has been charged under the Highway Traffic Act with wheel separation- commercial motor vehicle.
According to OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, more than 100 companies or drivers were charged in connection with incidents where a wheel separated from their vehicle in 2015.
He said reports of these incidents tend to increase when drivers are changing tires for seasonal weather conditions.
"We usually see a spike this time of year when people are getting rid of their snow tires, putting on their all seasons or their summer tires and if those wheels are not installed properly, very often those wheels will come off within kilometres or a day after they were installed," Schmidt said.
He added that drivers should make sure the wheel fasteners are tightened securely before operating their vehicle.
Here are some more statistics to consider:
- There were 140 wheel separations in Toronto region in 2015 and more than half of them were from passenger vehicles that cannot be charged under the commercial legislations.
- There has been 15 wheel separations reported from commercial vehicles in Toronto since mid-April.
- There has been 55 wheel separations reported provincially so far in 2016.
