Snowplow crash tears roof off car in Guelph, Ont.

Guelph police say an 18-year-old man from Waterloo was lucky to escape serious injury after a crash partially tore the roof off his car.

According to police, emergency services were called to Elmira Road North and Malcolm Road in Guelph around 1:35 a.m. Friday.

Police say the car collided with a snowplow, and the force of the crash tore the roof off the vehicle before it ended up in a ditch.

Police say the driver was transported to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He’s been charged with careless driving.

“[It was] very lucky in this case that the injuries were not much more severe. You see the damage to the vehicle. It’s not difficult to imagine what would have happened if that had collided with the occupant,” Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey said.

Police are reminding drivers to be sure to give snowplows extra space.

“We do encourage people, of course, to use road safety when dealing with any vehicles on the road, but particularly with larger, slower moving vehicles,” Tracey said.

NU Image Property Maintenance has been out clearing snow and ice left by Wednesday’s winter storm. The owner, Richard Dobson, said he’s a little surprised by how violent the damage from the crash was.

Richard Dobson, owner of NU Image Property Maintenance showing one of the plows the company uses to clear snow. Feb. 24, 2023. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)

"But, on another hand, like I say, if people don't respect the big machines it's bound to happen,” Dobson said.

Dobson said other drivers need to be extra cautious when snow plows are on the road.

"This equipment weighs a lot. It takes very little effort to completely damage a vehicle,” Dobson said.

According to Dobson, the other drivers on the road sometimes don't respect the plow's size.

"The equipment that we use is big. It's slow-moving, so people try to pass it and get around it," Dobson said.