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It’s been more than a full day since two huge trucks collided head-on on Victoria Avenue in Vineland, and it’s still closed. A big box truck smashed into a dump truck over the Twenty Mile Creek bridge.

Diesel spilled into the creek, and the bridge was damaged. But it could have been much worse. The Freightliner box truck was southbound on Victoria Avenue near Seventh, when the driver veered to avoid 2 cars ahead of him stopped to turn left. The truck smashed head on into an oncoming dump truck loaded with sand.

The cab was a mangled wreck, the driver critically injured with multiple broken bones. The driver of the dump truck, who is from St. Catharines, suffered minor injuries. The impact hitting the heavy dump truck spun the box truck around and pushed it over the bridge. The axle was broken.

“You have approximately 160 kilometre an hour impact speed. That sheer impact with the both vehicles carrying the fuel loads in the front part of the vehicle and the cab, led to a massive diesel spill” said Niagara Police Detective Adam Carter.

Dozens of litres of diesel leaked into Twenty Mile Creek. The spill in the creek was contained. Crews used ‘Absorb All’ to soak up the fuel on the road, but the pavement was damaged. The guard rails and hand rails were also damaged, but the bridge is still structurally sound. The Twenty Mile Creek bridge was rebuilt four years ago. Niagara Region officials say if this truck crash happened on the old bridge, the trucks would be in the creek and they would be dealing with a disaster.

The roadway is expected to open later this evening,. Re-paving begins tomorrow.