Two people lost their lives in a multi-vehicle crash involving a runaway dump truck that rolled across a busy highway in Coquitlam at the start of the afternoon rush hour on Tuesday.
Police said the truck rolled down an incline from a construction site and crossed over Lougheed Highway where it crashed into two vehicles.
One of those who died was the truck’s operator. Family and friends have identified the driver as 30-year-old Bobby Vanderhoef.
Bobby was newly married and about to become a father.
WATCH: Runaway dump truck crashes onto Lougheed Highway
“My brother was a hard worker, a good man, a great friend… that’s who he was,” she said on Wednesday.
Friends said Vanderhoef was working at the construction site on the Riverview Lands in Coquitlam.
Police said the dump truck somehow rolled down the hill into oncoming traffic.
Six people were taken to hospital with various injuries. The other victim who died was a woman in her 60s.
Witnesses said there was no one in the cab of the truck when it crossed the highway. Some think the driver died trying to stop the truck from rolling into traffic.
Messages of condolence continue to pour in on Bobby’s Facebook page as his family continues to grieve.
“There are no words to explain it,” Elisa said. “You don’t know what to say when you lose somebody like that. It’s hard. Our whole family is devastated.”
– With files from Aaron McArthur and The Canadian Press
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