DAWSON CREEK -- A 62-year-old man was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after the semi he was driving hit a moose early Wednesday morning.
The Dawson Creek RCMP detachment was called around 1 a.m. to the accident near Tupper Creek on Hwy 2 just before the Alberta border.
The driver swerved into the opposite lane and went through a cement barrier before the vehicle came to rest at the bottom of a creek.
The cab of the semi was pinned underneath the trailer resulting in the driver suffering serious injuries to his legs.
Dawson Creek fire, Tomslake fire, and Able Towing worked for hours trying to remove the driver from the cab by making sure the trailer was out of the way so the rescue team could work safely.
"They did have to use equipment which likely included the jaws of life to extricate him from the vehicle," said Dawson Creek RCMP Staff Sargeant Damon Werrell.
Skid marks could be seen on the highway while the moose was found deceased about 100 meters from the truck.
The driver was heading towards Dawson Creek from Whitecourt, Alta. however, RCMP are uncertain where he was headed or where he lives.
When first response crews got to the scene, they found silica sand spilled into the creek from the truck trailer along with fuel from the cab.
"Environment Canada was notified and will be looking into any impacts on the creek bed or the environment in that area," said Werrell.
Police say there were no indications on the scene that fatigue, drugs, or alcohol were involved in the crash, therefore they will not be investigating any further.
Werrell says there are not any best practices for drivers who come in contact with a moose on the highway since they are hard to spot, and are very large and slow animals.
