Tractor Trailer Crash on TransCanada in Edmundston

A tractor trailer hauling frozen seafood crashed early Monday morning after the driver lost control on the TransCanada Highway in Edmundston.

CIMT Edmundston reports the driver was apparently distracted and drove onto the shoulder of the highway near exit 26. The rig flipped onto its side as it skidded into the median and became bogged down in the mud, leaving a small space for the driver to get out of the passenger compartment. Edmundston firefighters, RCMP officers and engineering teams from SNC-Lavalin were called to the scene near Rue Principale in Saint-Basile.

The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The truck, owned by Eassons Transport, Ltd. of Nova Scotia, was significantly damaged. Emergency teams spent part of the night emptying the trailer that was carrying frozen snow crab. The cargo had to be taken out by hand.

The operation prompted the closure of Highway 2 East, which forced motorists to make a detour via Route 144 from Rivière-Verte.