Fire chief blames early Thursday evening crashes on road conditions
Woodstock Fire Department crews were responding to a report of a tractor-trailer accident on the Trans Canada Highway (Route 2) north of Woodstock when they came upon a second big rig crash while en route.
Fire Chief Harold McLellan said the department responded to a report of an accident at mile marker 179, between Woodstock and Hartland, before 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2. Fire crews discovered an overturned tractor-trailer between mile markers 183 and 184 near Atlantic Inns in Jacksonville.
“At first, we thought someone may have made a mistake with the marker numbers,” McLellan said.
They later learned that another truck had overturned on the highway median further north, so some crew members continued to that location.
McLellan said the truck in Jacksonville appeared to be heading north on the four-lane highway when it lost control and left the highway. He said the truck and trailer separated, with the trailer ending on its side in the middle of the median, while the transport came to a stop on its roof near the southbound lanes.
He said the driver was out of the cab when they arrived. He said Ambulance New Brunswick staff attended to him, but he wasn’t sure of the extent of the injuries.
McLellan said he doesn’t believe anyone sustained injuries at the accident further north.
The fire chief said road conditions were bad at the time of the accidents, with light snow falling and “a little bit of black ice.”
He said drivers don’t always adjust to the black ice, and that became evident as they attended the accident scene.
“Cars were going by like it was summertime,” McLellan said.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the New Brunswick RCMP posted a warning on social media advising motorists not to travel on Route 108 between Plaster Rock and Renouse due to poor weather conditions.
Chief McLellan said his department had already responded to four motor-vehicle accidents in the first two days of 2025. Fortunately, he added, none were serious.
