Calgary woman's vehicle sprayed by passing gravel truck
A Calgary woman is sharing her story in the hopes of bringing more oversight and accountability to gravel truck operators and the dangers caused by improperly secured loads.
Kaeleigh Kaufman said she was traveling home last Thursday, heading west on 144th Ave N.W. when moments after passing a gravel truck heading the opposite direction she heard a loud smack on the top of her windshield, “I am sprayed with tiny shards of glass. I feel them going all across my face, and I can hear them tinkle on my glasses.” Kaufman said.
Calgary woman's vehicle after getting sprayed by gravel
After realizing what happened and regaining her composure, Kaufman turned around to follow the truck driver and confronted him at a nearby intersection. "I looked into his driver's side window, which was open and I said, you just smashed my window. And he looked at me and he laughed and he said good luck with that and he drove off."
"That was worse than being hit by the rock," Kaufman said.
Kaufman has no doubt that a rock had fallen from the top of the truck-trailer and that is what caused the damage to her windshield, so she set off to try to find someway to make it right."“First thing I did was I came home and I thought you know what, this is not right. This is not only creating damage, it's dangerous to Alberta drivers."
Kaufman told CTV News in an interview that after filing a report with police and being told there was nothing they could do without the trucks license plate identification - she only had the trailer plate information - she has since spent a lot of time reaching out to various transportation agencies and even to the trucking company she believes is responsible for the incident.
A gravel truck like this one sprayed a woman's vehicle on Thursday, June 3, 2021
A properly tarped gravel truck spotted on Calgary streets on June 9.
All of those roads led her to the same realization; while there are federal and provincial laws mandating the security of any loaded truck and trailer, according to what Kaufman was told the enforcement and follow up to these rules just aren’t there. "This is a situation that needs attention, real attention," Kaufman said. "It needs a close look at better enforcement of load size, of securement, of municipal development requirements, such as brushing off trucks before they drive on a gravel pit."
Kaufman believes this whole situation has to be shaken up, "Just like the load on a truck when it's gearing up to speed up and driven down the road. It has to be shaken up for the safety of Albertans."
Damage from getting sprayed by a gravel truck, June 3, 2021
For Kaufman, this is no longer about the cost of the repairs to her windshield, it's about protecting others,
"More than everything more than anything, I would like to ensure the safety of Alberta drivers, kids, moms, seniors," she said. "We need to be assured of our safety on Alberta roads, and that's not happening."
CTV News has reached out to Alberta Transportation for comment and has not yet received a reply.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of a 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
How to keep insects out of your house, according to an entomologist and other experts
Now that temperatures have warmed up even more this spring, you may be anxious at the thought of bugs invading your home or you may already be battling the pests. Here are expert tips on how to keep them away.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
Ford thanks Ottawa as minister cites 'deep concerns' over Toronto's decriminalization
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is thanking the federal government for rejecting Toronto's long-stalled pitch to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs.
What we know about the young missionaries and religious leader killed in Haiti
The local director of a mission group in Haiti and a missionary couple from the U.S. were attacked and fatally shot by gang members after leaving a youth group activity at a church, a family member told The Associated Press.
After toddler's near drowning in backyard pool, Quebec mom has warning for parents
A Quebec mother who saved her child from the bottom of a backyard pool last weekend has a message for other families.
Five things to know about the NHL playoffs
The Florida Panthers got close but fell short of going up 2-0 in their series on Friday, something the Edmonton Oilers look to do Saturday night.