New video is showing exactly what led to a turning light pole falling on the Perimeter Highway last week and how quickly the incident unfolded on the evening of Feb. 19.
CTV News Winnipeg first reported Kristi Heaver’s account earlier this week.
She said she was driving in the middle lane at full speed, headed west and she said the pole seemed to fall onto her car out of nowhere.
Dashcam footage provided to CTV News Friday by the Province of Manitoba shows an unidentified driver heading the opposite direction hit the turning light pole 2.2 seconds before it strikes Heaver’s car. She then runs over the pole.
The footage from an unattributed source provided to the Province of Manitoba depicts a delivery-style vehicle travelling east that clipped the pole’s base, causing it to fall.
CTV News showed Heaver the footage. She said from her point of view, she never noticed the other driver hitting the pole.
“From my perspective, I am driving straight, I am paying attention straight (ahead). Yes, I am being mindful of my peripherals, but I’m not paying attention to see somebody else clip (the pole) through a row of cars,” said Heaver.
While she said it made her feel anxious to watch it all over again, she is also thankful to see the safety mechanism on the pole was working.
“It’s nice knowing the safety switching was doing what it was supposed to do, and unfortunately, I was just collateral damage.”
Heaver did apologize for attributing the cause to provincial negligence and a lack of maintenance but expressed peace of mind for now having a complete picture of what happened that day.
“It makes more sense, and it wasn’t due to negligence. It was due to somebody else that had clipped the pole, and I was just (there at the) wrong time.”
Heaver said she hopes the other driver is OK and is now waiting to hear if her vehicle is fixable or if it is a write-off.
