'So scary': Flying shovel misses Mississauga driver by just centimetres
It started as a routine drive for Komal Syed.
“I went on the 403 from Winston Churchill”, the Mississauga resident told CTV News Toronto. “I just had two...exits to take.”
It was just before 11 a.m. on Monday and Syed was headed to an appointment. She says she noticed a white sedan pull into the lane in front of her, causing her to reduce her speed. It was then she noticed something was odd about the car.
“It’s bumper started moving. And I was like, okay it seems like it’s bumper is coming off. And next thing I hear - a crash.”
Police are warning people to properly secure their cargo after a metal shovel flew into the windshield of an Ontario driver's car.That crash was caused not by a bumper, but by a shovel flying through her windshield just centimetres from her face.
“I honestly don’t know where the shovel came from,” Syed said. “From what I recall, the bumper was moving. The bumper seemed to be coming off, but it wasn’t. Eventually what was in my car was a shovel.”
Syed says in the moment she managed to remain relatively calm.
“I turned and saw this shovel in my windscreen and I realized that, OK this is pretty big,” she said with a slight chuckle. “I mean I obviously screamed and I must have panicked, but I didn’t swerve luckily.”
Syed pulled to the side of the road and surveyed the damage. A cell phone video she took at the time shows the extent of the damage. She said she didn’t even realize that she was covered in broken glass until a tow truck driver who had stopped to help pointed it out.
While she recounts the story with a nervous laugh now, she says she didn’t realize until much later just how different the incident could have been if they shovel had hit the windshield in a different place.
Komal Syed's car is photographed after a metal shovel flew into her windshield.Syed says she drove the same route the next morning in order to dissuade any fears she might have about safety. And says she has a message for other highway drivers in the hopes that others won’t have to go through what she has.
“If someone is going to go on the highway with tools or equipment, please make sure it’s secured properly. Because this is just like ... so scary.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian home sales fall for 5th month in a row, down 29 per cent from last July
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
British regulator 1st in world to OK Moderna's updated COVID booster
British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect against the original virus and the omicron variant.
Canada less than halfway to Afghan resettlement goal one year after Taliban takeover
A year after the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Canada's resettlement efforts have lagged behind official targets and the efforts to help those fleeing the war in Ukraine. More than 17,300 Afghans have arrived in Canada since last August compared to 71,800 Ukrainians who have come to Canada in 2022 alone.
Anne Heche taken off life support, 9 days after car crash
Anne Heche, the Emmy-winning film and television actor whose dramatic Hollywood rise in the 1990s and accomplished career contrasted with personal chapters of turmoil, died of injuries from a fiery car crash. She was 53.
China announces new drills as U.S. delegation visits Taiwan
China announced more military drills around Taiwan as the self-governing island's president met with members of a new U.S. congressional delegation on Monday, threatening to renew tensions between Beijing and Washington just days after a similar visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered China.
Padma Lakshmi 'worried and wordless' over attack on ex-husband Salman Rushdie
Padma Lakshmi is supporting her ex-husband Salman Rushdie in his recovery. The 'Top Chef' star tweeted Sunday that she is 'relieved' Rushdie is 'pulling through after Friday's nightmare' in which he was stabbed multiple times while on stage in New York.
Colonial Building in Newfoundland won't be renamed after all: provincial government
The Newfoundland and Labrador government says it will not be changing the name of the Colonial Building in downtown St. John's.
About 4,000 beagles destined for drug experiments finding new homes
About 4,000 beagles are looking for homes after animal rescue organizations started removing them from a Virginia facility that bred them to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments.
Iran denies involvement but justifies Salman Rushdie attack
An Iranian government official denied on Monday that Tehran was involved in the assault on author Salman Rushdie, though he justified the stabbing in remarks that represented the Islamic Republic's first public comments on the attack.
Montreal
-
Quebec launches another COVID-19 vaccination campaign for seniors
Quebec health authorities are launching another COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign.
-
Quebec's public finances are good despite a climate of 'very high uncertainty': AG
Quebec's public finances are in order as the Oct. 3 election approaches, but nothing should be taken for granted due to prevailing economic uncertainty, according to the auditor general.
-
Car, scooter destroyed in suspicious fire in Cote-des-Neiges
Montreal police is investigating after a vehicle was set aflame in the Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.
London
-
Woodstock, Ont. doctor wanted on child pornography charges arrested
A Woodstock, Ont. doctor wanted for several child pornography related offences has been arrested.
-
Motorcyclist killed in crash east of Woodstock, Ont.
A motorcycle rider has died following a Sunday night crash near Woodstock, Ont.
-
Chance of showers possible throughout the week for London, Ont.
There's a slight chance of showers to kick off the work week in London, Ont.
Kitchener
-
Former Waterloo Region family remembers nine-year-old after search comes to tragic end
A family that recently moved from Waterloo Region is remembering the life of their nine-year-old boy after the search for him came to a tragic end.
-
Woodstock, Ont. doctor wanted on child pornography charges arrested
A Woodstock, Ont. doctor wanted for several child pornography related offences has been arrested.
-
Child struck by SUV in Kitchener
Police are asking for witnesses after a young child was struck by an SUV in Kitchener.
Northern Ontario
-
Parry Sound family shares their heartache after tragic loss of son during camping trip
9-year-old Everett Freeman went camping with his family on Huckleberry Island in Georgian Bay, and went missing around 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12.
-
Former Waterloo Region family remembers nine-year-old after search comes to tragic end
A family that recently moved from Waterloo Region is remembering the life of their nine-year-old boy after the search for him came to a tragic end.
-
Why has polio been found in London, New York and Jerusalem, and how dangerous is it?
Polio, a deadly disease that used to paralyze tens of thousands of children every year, is spreading in London, New York and Jerusalem for the first time in decades, spurring catch-up vaccination campaigns.
Ottawa
-
Premier Ford to address municipal leaders in Ottawa
Premier Doug Ford will address municipal leaders in Ottawa this morning, on the first full day of events at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference. More than 1,700 officials representing municipalities and organizations from across the province are in Ottawa for the annual AMO conference, the first in-person gathering of municipal leaders in three years.
-
Five-kilometre section of Queensway reopens for Monday morning commute
Highway 417 reopened to traffic between Metcalfe and Carling/Kirkwood Avenues at approximately 12 a.m. Monday, six hours ahead of schedule after crews worked through the weekend to replace the Booth Street Bridge in Ottawa's west end.
-
Plenty of sunshine in Ottawa on Monday
Environment Canada’s weather forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 27 C, but it will feel more like 30 degrees with the humidex.
Windsor
-
Chatham man charged after downtown business vandalized
A 39-year-old Chatham man has been charged following a disturbance in the downtown core Sunday evening.
-
Premier Ford to address municipal leaders in Ottawa
Premier Doug Ford will address municipal leaders in Ottawa this morning, on the first full day of events at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference. More than 1,700 officials representing municipalities and organizations from across the province are in Ottawa for the annual AMO conference, the first in-person gathering of municipal leaders in three years.
-
OPP warn of 'serial killer or abductor' hoax in Leamington
Essex County OPP are warning residents of a hoax on social media “a serial killer or abductor is currently hunting in Leamington.”
Barrie
-
Parry Sound family shares their heartache after tragic loss of son during camping trip
9-year-old Everett Freeman went camping with his family on Huckleberry Island in Georgian Bay, and went missing around 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12.
-
Health Agency looking for polio in wastewater
The Public Health Agency of Canada will begin testing wastewater for the polio virus in several key high-risk communities following reports it was detected in sewage in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
-
Minet's Point Road closed for GO rail expansion
Trans Power Utility has closed Minet's Point Road to install a new road crossing to support the Regional Express Rail Expansion planned for the Barrie GO corridor.
Atlantic
-
'I have to fight for myself': Quadriplegic man says N.S. government told him to live in a hospital
A diving accident at 14-years-old left Brian Parker paralyzed from the chest down. Now at age 49, he's without the person who was caring for him full-time until just last week, after his 68-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
-
Concerns about stigmatizing queer communities grow as Monkeypox comes to New Brunswick
Locally, LGBTQ+ people fear the messaging is coming across as targeting the queer community, similar to former HIV/AIDS messaging.
-
Colonial Building in Newfoundland won't be renamed after all: provincial government
The Newfoundland and Labrador government says it will not be changing the name of the Colonial Building in downtown St. John's.
Calgary
-
WATCH LIVE AT 11 MT
WATCH LIVE AT 11 MT | Alberta looks to poach skilled workers from Vancouver, Toronto
The government of Alberta is looking to draw skilled workers from Toronto and Vancouver to the province and will launch its recruitment campaign Monday morning.
-
Search underway for missing teens in northwest Calgary
The Calgary Police Service is seeking tips from the public after two teenage sisters failed to return to their home in the northwest neighbourhood of Sage Hill on Sunday.
-
Warm week prompts wildfire concerns in Alberta
With temperatures expected to hover around the 30 C mark throughout much of Alberta for the rest of the week, the risk of wildfire is on the rise and 35 fires are currently active in the province.
Winnipeg
-
'Absolutely devastating': Struggling duty-free stores call for end to ArriveCan app
Duty-free shops along Canada's border, like the one in Emerson, are continuing to report record low sales.
-
Weather conditions favourable for 'severe' storms in parts of Manitoba
Environment Canada is warning Manitobans that conditions are favourable in parts of the province for the development of “severe” thunderstorms that could cause strong winds, large hail, and heavy rain.
-
About 4,000 beagles destined for drug experiments finding new homes
About 4,000 beagles are looking for homes after animal rescue organizations started removing them from a Virginia facility that bred them to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments.
Vancouver
-
Strike action: B.C.'s largest public sector union to picket BC Liquor Store warehouses
A union representing tens of thousands of government workers says it will begin job action Monday.
-
Drive-by shooting at Surrey home being investigated
A drive-by shooting of a Surrey home is being investigated by Mounties.
-
B.C. couple can't use bankruptcy to get out of paying $19M to regulator, appeal court rules
For the second time in a year, British Columbia's highest court has dismissed an appeal from a couple attempting to use bankruptcy to rid themselves of millions of dollars in penalties imposed by the province's financial markets regulator.
Edmonton
-
Canadian home sales fall for 5th month in a row, down 29 per cent from last July
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
-
WATCH LIVE AT 11 MT
WATCH LIVE AT 11 MT | Alberta looks to poach skilled workers from Vancouver, Toronto
The government of Alberta is looking to draw skilled workers from Toronto and Vancouver to the province and will launch its recruitment campaign Monday morning.
-
Smith takes aim at Kenney's sovereignty act comments, asks premier to 'respect' leadership contest
Jason Kenney and United Conservative Party leadership hopeful Danielle Smith traded words about her proposed sovereignty act this weekend, with Smith saying the premier should not interfere in the contest.