A semi-truck crashed nose-deep into a townhouse on Tuesday morning in Kelowna, B.C., and, miraculously, it appears no one was seriously injured.
The incident happened at the corner of Gordon Drive and Cameron Avenue, around 10:30 a.m., with emergency crews quickly arriving on scene.
The truck, hauling an empty flatbed trailer, crashed into a corner of the townhome. Firefighters used a ladder to access the second floor via the rear balcony, and brought a year-old baby and an older resident to safety.
One witness told Global News that she was travelling north along Gordon Drive, in the left-hand lane with the semi in the right lane.
She said the semi, which wasn’t speeding, appeared to be turning onto Cameron Avenue, but hit the condo.
The witness said she and many others stopped what they were doing and went to help. She also said the driver eventually walked out of the semi, but didn’t know if he was injured.
The townhouse owner, Samer Shehadeh, said six people live in the unit: he and his wife, three kids and a mother-in-law.
“I received a phone call from my mother in panic mode, saying something’s happening to the house,” Shehadeh told Global News, adding he quickly called 911 and then left work.
“I get on the phone with my mother-in-law and she’s in panic mode. All I heard was baby, smoke, the whole house shook. That’s the highlights of what I heard.”
Shehadeh said the baby is all good, “Thank God.”
He added that when he arrived on scene, emergency crews were already there, with firefighters accessing the rear balcony. The mother-in-law was trying to put the baby to sleep when the semi crashed into their home.
“As soon as I got here, all I cared about was my mother-in-law and the baby,” said Shehadeh.
“And as soon as I saw both of them looking at me, I knew that everything was OK. I thank God that (the house) didn’t catch on fire or anything exploded because that would have been a disaster.”
Shehadeh also noted that his kids were playing outside on Monday, and he’s grateful this crash didn’t happen then.
“It’s pretty extensive,” Shehadeh said of the damage. “It’s going to be a while before this gets rectified.”
Kelowna RCMP said they are investigating the crash, noting that a westbound lane on Cameron Avenue is closed until further notice.
“The semi-truck is wedged into the residence and will apparently not be removed until structural engineers have been consulted,” said police.
“The power and gas to the residence have been turned off as a safety precaution. At this time, they are exploring ideas on removing the trailer portion to open the road.”
Police and emergency services are helping residents of the two affected homes.
“The RCMP is currently investigating this event to determine what exactly happened and we are thankful to report that there are no injuries,” said Const. Mike Della-Paolera.
In the afternoon, the City of Kelowna issued a press release, saying the driver of the semi was trapped and had to be extricated from the wreckage by firefighters.
“The driver was taken to hospital by (B.C. Ambulance) with unknown injuries,” said the city.
“An adult female and an infant were home at the time of the incident but were not injured. The residents were trapped on a second-floor balcony and were removed by firefighters using a ladder.”
The city also said gas and electricity were shut off and the area was cordoned off. Affected residents will not be allowed back into their homes until a structural assessment has been completed.
If you witnessed this collision and have yet to speak to police, or have dashcam video, you are asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 260-762-3300 and reference file number 2023-19146.
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