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UPDATED: Semi collision shuts down Highway 7 east of Agassiz

Highway now fully open both directions
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Highway 7 was closed both ways east of Agassiz Tuesday night. Both drivers walked away with minor injuries. Twitter/@frntrw123

Highway 7 east of Agassiz is now fully open in both directions after a late-night semi-collision shut down the highway Tuesday night near Wahleach Road in Seabird Island. The highway is expected to fully reopen by 2 p.m. today.

The Agassiz Fire Department was dispatched to the incident last night, at the time reported as a head-on collision involving two tractor trailer units with the possibility of propane involved and leaking.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Gerald Basten, units that arrived on scene found both drivers out of the vehicles and mobile, with minor, non-life threatening injuries.

The Agassiz Fire Department crew got to secured the trucks and found reports of a propane leak unfounded, but did have to use spill containment and plugging techniques to stop diesel leaks from entering ground water aquifers. Each truck was carrying approximately 600 litres of diesel at the time of impact.

Basten says both trucks had been travelling at highway speed at the time of the incident and were completely destroyed by the collision.

“The westbound truck crossed the eastbound lane of traffic and ended up in the ditch on the southside of the highway,” he says. “The eastbound truck hit the first low bed trailer and drove right through it.”

Basten adds that with the exception of diesel, no hazardous materials were involved in the crash.

“The lowbed truck was empty and the second truck involved was carrying general freight,” he says. “The fire department worked with local highway contractors, the ministry of transportation, and the ministry of environment as well as Fraser Valley Traffic Services and the RCMP to ensure the fuel spill and damage was contained to a minimum,” says Basten.