'It's been quite a problem:' Demolition begins a month after truck crashes into building
The process to remove a truck that crashed into a building in Atwood a month ago started on Wednesday, as portions of the building were torn down to help dislodge the truck.
The logging truck and trailer crashed into the building around 6:15 a.m. Sep. 5, 2022. Diana Henning lives across the street from the crash site, and said she has been waiting for the demolition to happen ever since the crash.
“Every day you’d wonder if they’re going to do something, but they’d always put it off,” Henning said.
The building was originally a funeral home and furniture store. It was being turned into apartments, but had to be torn down because the truck hit the other side of the doublewide structure and was lodged in the building.
The owner of the property declined an interview but said he tried to get financial help as he thought the building could still be saved, but engineers determined it had to be torn down.
As locals waited weeks for something to happen, they started poking fun at the crash site, putting up a sign down the street that read “SEE ATWOOD’S FAMOUS TRUCK LEAVE A NICKEL” and “TRUCK FOR SALE AS IS WHERE IS.” Henning said she was also planning to make it a Halloween display if it was still there at the end of October.
“I was thinking that we were going to decorate if they don’t soon get it out. But they’re working at it,” Henning said.
According to Ontario Provincial Police, the driver was charged with careless driving, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Demolition crews shut down Main Street as they moved chunks of the building on Wednesday. Onlookers said they were happy to see it happening.
“Good to see right now. It’s been quite a problem for the last month while it’s been sitting there,” James Lisewski, who lives beside the crash site said. “So many people stopping out here looking at it, and everyone would ask you what happened. So you would have to keep telling them over and over.”
Lisewski said although it’s just a different eyesore now, it’s at least a step in the right direction.
“In a way, it’s good to see it go. On the other hand, I kind of feel sorry for the guy that owns it, because he has put a lot of money and time in there. So it’s just one of those things,” Lisewski said.
With files from CTV London.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.