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Penticton  

Princeton residents help semi driver after his truck flips on Highway 5A

Semi flipped on Highway

Casey Richardson

A Princeton family driving back on Highway 5A Thursday night came across an overturned semi-truck and stayed with the driver until help arrived.

Trianna Russell said they were on the road just before midnight driving back from Kelowna. Her friend was driving and woke her up when they came around the corner to the truck flipped over.

"She [said] 'It's right fresh because when we come around the corner the dust was still settling,'" Russell added.

The group pulled over and contacted 911 to get help. Russell said her son and his girlfriend ran out to see if the driver was okay.

"We didn't hear [the driver's] voice at first and I'm like, 'Oh my god,' and then he was talking and he crawled out. He said he didn't really know [what happened]. I think he was just shocked at the time."

He told them he felt like there were little shards of glass on his face from the windshield breaking in the crash.

Russell said they noticed one of the semi's rear tires on the left side was blown and the rim was all mangled, with skid marks at length down the highway.

"He said he felt the back end kind of like tipping. So he just held on to the steering wheel for dear life."

Russell said they sat with their hazard lights, waiting with the driver until help arrived.

"I'm just glad that he wasn't more seriously hurt," she added.



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