Oxford OPP are investigating three separate incidents in the last month when transport trucks driving near Tavistock, Ont., had their windshields damaged by what investigators believe were full cans of pop that had been intentionally thrown out the windows of passing vehicles.
All three incidents occurred along Perth-Oxford Road in East Zorra-Tavistock Township, police said. Officials added they believed the incidents were likely related and were intentional.
The first two incidents, on March 29 and April 4, happened around 10:35 p.m. and 10:14 p.m., respectively, near the Tavistock town limits, police said.
The third incident, pictured above, occurred around 7:19 a.m. on April 19 along Perth-Oxford Road between 17th Line and 18th Line.
Jeremy South of Corunna, Ont., was behind the wheel of the third truck.
Speaking with AM980 on Thursday, South said he was on his way to Breslau, Ont., with a full load of livestock when the incident occurred.
“I’ve had stones hit my windshield before and it makes a big bang… this was nothing like I’ve ever heard. It was extremely loud.”
South pulled the truck over to the side of the road and hopped out of the cab. After wiping his face, he says he was confronted with “a whole lot of blood.”
“I couldn’t tell where I’d been cut, so I called 911,” he said. “It was hard to blink and hard to see, and my vision just kept degrading.”
Just after the incident, South says he could taste some pop in his mouth. He said he could see a Coca-Cola can hanging inside the truck’s cab.
“All three transport trucks had their windshields shattered/cracked and had to come to a sudden stop,” police said in a media release. “These incidents could have had serious and/or fatal consequences.”
“If I hadn’t stopped when I did, this transport behind me would have ran right into me, and caused a big chain-reaction crash,” South said.
No serious injuries were reported in the three incidents, but South said he had to have 15 small pieces of glass removed from his eyes.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing, and police have asked motorists driving in the area of Perth-Oxford Road to take extra precautions and to report any suspicious behaviour at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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