COBEQUID PASS - A Dieppe, N.B., man is dead after the transport truck he was driving caught fire following a collision with another rig on Tuesday morning.
The 61-year-old, who hasn't been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision just east of the Cobequid Plaza toll in the westbound lane.
Colchester RCMP Cpl. Lisa McKay said the man was still inside the cab of his truck when it exploded around 7:30 a.m.
"A couple of people tried to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers, but weren't able to," said McKay.
An investigation continues into the incident, however, preliminary results show one truck had pulled onto the shoulder of the road.
"It was still on the road a little bit. I'm not sure if it had mechanical problems, and because of the fog, the other driver didn't see it until it was too late."
The stationary truck was hit from behind. The driver, a 61-year-old Enfield man, was transported to hospital for assessment.
The truck the Dieppe man was driving collided with such an impact that half of the passenger side of the trailer was torn off, landing on the highway.
Debris was scattered between the two vehicles, as well as in front of and to the sides, making it hard for anyone walking through not to step on a piece of the truck.
The smell of fuel was strong, with firefighters from Great Village still at work, even though the fire was extinguished.
McKay said the westbound lane of the highway was closed about an hour-and-a-half after the accident occurred. Motorists were turned around and re-routed through Wentworth.
"The highway is still closed because crews are still trying to clean up the vehicles," said McKay. It was expected the highway would be closed until this morning.
A dozen or so transport trucks, and other larger trucks, were stranded on the highway until the scene was cleaned up and were free to pass.
rtetanish@trurodaily.com
