A stretch of highway east of Vancouver reopened shortly before noon Tuesday, almost 10 hours after a semi-trailer crashed through the guard rail of a bridge over the Vedder canal, killing the driver.
The large truck, heading westbound near Chilliwack on Highway 1, lost control around 2 a.m.
Police say the cab of the truck crashed through the guardrail, rolling off the bridge before plummeting upside-down into the chilly waters below.
The driver of the commercial rig, a 50-year-old Chilliwack man, was killed.
In Pictures: Chilliwack truck crash
The truck's trailer stayed on the bridge on its side, blocking traffic on the span. The roadway was shut for many hours as accident reconstructionists from the Lower Mainland District Traffic Services investigated.
This is the third incident involving a commercial vehicle in the Lower Mainland in the past 24 hours.
A dump truck collided with the centre median on Highway 1 in North Vancouver Monday. The accident sent debris flying into backyards and prompted residents to call on the provincial government to provide better protection for their homes.
Hours later, another dump truck overturned on an off-ramp on the same highway near 264 Street in Langley.
Insp. Ted Emanuels said 13 per cent of fatalities in Lower Mainland traffic crashes involve a commercial vehicle.
"Up until August 11 this year, we've had 192 fatalities as a result of traffic crashes in the province, and 54 of those were in the RCMP-policed areas in our Lower Mainland District," he said.
Inspectors still haven't determined the causes of the latest three crashes.
