- yesterday
Route 13: A 1,612-kilometer-long journey going from Montreal to one of Canada’s coldest regions, the Gaspé Peninsula, is one of the most dangerous roads in the country. Here, violent snowstorms come with no warning. Gales of over 100 km/h lift up the snow and blind drivers. With no visibility, dozens of cars and trucks crash into each other.
In these extreme weather conditions, the slightest careless mistake can be very costly. We follow the rescue workers at work.
In these extreme weather conditions, the slightest careless mistake can be very costly. We follow the rescue workers at work.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00In the east of Canada, violent snowstorms never come with a warning.
00:07Gales of over 100 kilometres an hour lift up the snow and blind drivers.
00:12These storms are called blizzards.
00:15Every year, from December to April, blizzards cause many spectacular accidents.
00:25Like this one, which was recorded live.
00:30With no visibility, dozens of cars and trucks crash into each other.
00:37This is ridiculous.
00:40There's snow and fog mixed together and it made the visibility down to zero.
00:51At the Amqui fire station in northern Quebec, firefighters receive an emergency call.
00:57A huge pileup has just occurred.
01:01André, who has been a firefighter for over 20 years, is on duty.
01:07We're going through an accident.
01:09I don't know if it's incarcerated or not, but it's an accident.
01:13We're going through an accident here.
01:15You're going to 132?
01:16Yes.
01:17André knows Route 132 very well.
01:22It runs along the St. Lawrence River and it's the most accident-prone road in Canada.
01:27Every year, more than 150,000 people are injured in road accidents in Canada and around 1,800 lose their lives.
01:35These infamous snowstorms, which reduce visibility, are often the cause.
01:42André and his team are alive on the scene. First, they consult the chief paramedic.
01:59Maxime, what's your car?
02:02Yes.
02:03Yes.
02:04Yes.
02:05Yes.
02:06Yes.
02:07Yes.
02:08Yes.
02:09Yes.
02:10Yes.
02:11involved in the accident, the drivers and passengers
02:13have been extracted from their vehicles.
02:16But the tow trucks are slow to arrive,
02:18so the situation remains very dangerous.
02:32It was this taxi that supposedly crashed into him.
02:41It's like if they had fallen in white water in front of the others.
02:44The first had to brake, and the others,
02:46it made an enchaînement.
02:48It made a bang, bang, bang.
02:52It's minus 30 degrees.
02:53The firefighters must quickly clear the damaged vehicles
02:56because the risk of another accident is very high.
02:59The visibility remains very poor.
03:06The firefighters risk their lives every moment
03:09as trucks pass within two meters of them.
03:24The only protection is their red fire truck,
03:27positioned sideways on the road
03:29to force drivers to slow down and change lanes.
03:31They're going to position it
03:34so that the other vehicles don't come back to us.
03:36We're going to position it
03:37so that the other vehicles that they don't come back to us.
03:40We're going to protect the individuals
03:43and the victims.
03:44So that's why the positioning of the vehicles is important.
03:49A systematic manoeuvre that prevents further pile-ups.
03:54Damn, this is crazy, man!
03:58Two more fire!
04:01Oh, look at that!
04:03I need to get the fuck off the road!
04:07Damn!
04:09When it's safe to leave,
04:11an ambulance takes the two injured drivers to the hospital.
04:14The firefighters must now ensure that no vehicle catches fire.
04:18What are you doing here?
04:21I'll put the brakes on you.
04:22I'm going to risk it.
04:23I'm going to risk it.
04:26The road must now be cleared as quickly as possible.
04:29The brigade drives one of the vehicles to a parking area.
04:34We'll bring him to the Cours of Commerce
04:36to deliver the car as fast as possible,
04:39so that he'll get another taxi driver, just right now.
04:43Despite living in the region,
04:45this driver was caught off-guard, just like everyone else.
04:49He didn't have time to react.
04:50The violent blizzard destroyed four vehicles
04:54and left two drivers with minor injuries.
04:56This is a rather fortunate outcome for the firefighters of Amkwi,
05:01because this road, Route 132,
05:03is known to be the deadliest one in Canada.
05:05This is a rather fortunate outcome for the firefighters of Amkwi,
05:07because this road, Route 132,
05:09is known to be the deadliest one in Canada.
05:11Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
05:13There are 38,000 kilometres of road.
05:14In the province of Quebec,
05:14one road changes its full speed.
05:16One road changes its face in winter.
05:17It is as beautiful as it is dangerous.
05:21Route 132, a 1,612-kilometre-long journey,
05:22going from Montréal to Montréal to Montréal to Montréal.
05:26One of Canada's coldest regions,
05:27the Gaspé Peninsula.
05:28The Gaspé Peninsula is the second-largest country in the world.
05:31Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
05:34There are 38,000 kilometres of road.
05:37In the province of Quebec,
05:39one road changes its face in winter.
05:42It is as beautiful as it is dangerous.
05:45Route 132, a 1,612-kilometre-long journey,
05:50going from Montréal to one of Canada's coldest regions,
05:53the Gaspé Peninsula.
05:55In winter,
05:59this road becomes a serious hazard
06:01for the hundreds of thousands of drivers
06:03that use it every day.
06:08On the road 132 in Bas-Saint-Laurent,
06:10two people have been in a front collision.
06:13Three people have lost their life in this accident.
06:15Sophie came to Lake-aux-Semont on the road 132
06:18around 11am today.
06:20Blizzards, snowstorms, ice storms.
06:23In these extreme weather conditions,
06:25the slightest careless mistake can be very costly.
06:29An ever-growing number of accidents,
06:42made worse by alcohol consumption.
06:45Luke, a truck driver, had an accident with a drunk driver.
06:48The impact that caused you from here.
06:50While I was there, the driver, who was my friend,
06:54was dead on the ground at the accident.
06:58I was taken three hours behind him.
07:00To help people in distress,
07:03this deadly road is patrolled by people
07:05who might be thought of as guardian angels.
07:08Tony runs a tow truck company.
07:11For 35 years, he's been rescuing drivers
07:13trapped on the side of the road.
07:15He also rescues reckless drivers who exceed speed limits,
07:27even in residential areas.
07:29Guislain is a fire chief in charge of operations in northern Quebec.
07:45Every time there's an accident on Route 132,
07:47he has to intervene as quickly as possible as this road
07:50is the only connection between the south and the north of the province.
07:54The 1.32 begins as an urban highway in Montreal.
08:05Here, an accident occurs every five minutes.
08:09Martin is a breakdown mechanic.
08:11Every time he starts working, he doesn't know what to expect.
08:17Dangerous procedures.
08:21Where every second, his life is at risk.
08:24For two months, we followed these professionals working in the most extreme conditions,
08:33on Route 132.
08:41Montreal, the capital of Quebec,
08:43with 1.8 million inhabitants and 2.8 million vehicles.
08:47Here, cars dominate the area.
08:50With winter temperatures dropping to minus 10 degrees Celsius,
08:55and sometimes as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius,
08:59car pile-ups are inevitable.
09:03Even with snow tires, it's impossible for tires to adhere to what's known as black ice,
09:09a thin layer of invisible ice that covers the road.
09:13Even at 20 kilometers an hour, vehicles become completely uncontrollable.
09:29Route 132 starts here in Montreal.
09:31Right from its first junction, accidents are commonplace.
09:34On average, five per week.
09:35Most often, they happen early in the morning, when locals commute to work.
09:43As the highway is very busy, the slightest careless mistake will result in a pile-up.
09:59In winter, there are 30% more accidents.
10:06This keeps Martin, the breakdown mechanic, busy at work.
10:08This morning, Martin is sent to the infamous interchange on Route 132.
10:21Martin has no time to waste.
10:39He zigzacks between cars to get to the scene as quickly as possible.
10:43In no time, he catches up with the emergency services.
10:53At the scene of the accident, police are already securing the area.
10:57The road has to be cleared quickly.
11:14With the number of people here, another accident would be catastrophic.
11:18Martin decides to clear the last car away.
11:21However, there's a problem.
11:27The airbag is blocking access to the control.
11:30The airbag is blocking access to the control.
11:34The airbag is blocking the road, the airbag is blocking the road, because it's too empty.
11:47I'll never see it.
11:49I'm going to bring it back again.
11:51Martin quickly resolves the situation and is able to load the first car.
11:56the situation is better with the second vehicle
12:05it was only slightly damaged so the driver can drive off leaving the scene is dangerous
12:13not turns tow truck acts as a protection from other cars the other two vehicles are out of order
12:23given the condition of the cars leaving the accident uninjured is a miracle
12:35the person responsible for the pile-up
12:52is this lady having recovered she's now worried about her car
12:59a total damage of over 9000 euros
13:06a total damage of over 9000 euros
13:14a total damage of over 9000 euros
13:21in Canada it's normal to be informal with strangers the tow truck with the driver on board leaves the scene she takes this road twice a week she's a bit shocked about what's just happened
13:36the careless mistake that will be very costly for insurance companies
13:43one more car to scrap parking lot here is already quite full
13:51as soon as the car and its driver have been dropped off
14:06martin is back on the road looking to assist at other accidents in his opinion the woman's story of missing the brake pedal feels made up
14:13I'm sure that the person concerned that the person had to be with her phone but the car had to be with her phone
14:20but to make the car a total loss the person had to be able to arrive quite fast
14:25so she was distressed by something or the message was on the wheel
14:30if the driver is found guilty of using her phone while driving she will lose five of the 15 points on her Canadian license
14:39she will also have to pay a fine of 220 euros
14:45route 132 is the longest road in the province of Quebec
14:51it stretches for 1612 kilometres
14:55in the Montreal region the highway here is four lanes wide on each side
15:01much further in the north roads are much more narrow
15:05driving on these two narrow lanes is always extremely risky
15:12we had for Rimouski the gateway to Gaspé Peninsula
15:16one of Canada's coldest regions
15:18in winter the temperature keeps steadily around minus 16 degrees Celsius
15:23the scenery may be breathtaking but route 132 runs alongside the St. Lawrence river
15:30the wind carries the cold and mist from the river freezing the road and causing it to crack
15:37accidents occur regularly and what's shocking is that they are seven times deadlier than in Montreal
15:44it is the heavy trucks that are most often involved in accidents with the boom in online shopping the number of trucks in this rural area has grown by 15% in the last five years
16:03when a truck is trapped Tony Donjou
16:08a tow truck mechanic from father to son is always called to the rescue
16:12with around 40 trucks on the road Tony and his team can tow any vehicle
16:20this morning one emergency call will prove to be a challenge
16:25a lorry with all its cargo fell over into a ditch on the side of route 132
16:32Tony goes to see the driver to try and assess
16:54the total weight
17:04by his judgment it's between 35 to 40 tons
17:09the driver lost control on the way to the recycling center
17:13seeing the situation Tony quickly realizes it's going to be impossible to recover the lorry
17:22with just one tow truck
17:24so he calls on one of his employees to help
17:36for Yvonne his employee it's a delicate operation
17:39the truck is completely on its side
17:41and he doesn't want to break anything while lifting
17:43it
17:44it's complicated to turn a camera come from
17:46the car
17:47the car was a tashay
17:48the car was a tashay
17:49the car is a plus
17:52the city
17:54the city
17:56the company
17:57the manoeuvre is extremely difficult
18:03if one chain is poorly attached or in the wrong place
18:06the truck could break into
18:08the vehicle
18:29the operation takes about 45 minutes
18:34Everything is done with care.
18:51It's hard to believe there was no damage to the truck.
19:04On average, this type of breakdown service costs around 600 euros.
19:18The truck is back on the road, as if nothing happened.
19:24According to Tony, this accident could have been much worse.
19:29In his 35 years in the business,
19:31he has witnessed countless fatal accidents on Route 132.
19:56This place is now known as the Road of Crosses.
20:01There's a cross for every person who died on Route 132.
20:10Tony has travelled this road thousands and thousands of times,
20:14like his father Jacques before him.
20:16He's 77 years old and still in command.
20:19He founded the company in 1972 and has archived all the operations he's carried out over the years,
20:30some of which were truly remarkable.
20:33Like this 1.5 million ton submarine,
20:36the operation which required half a dozen tow trucks.
20:39What will forever remain engraved in his memories from his 50 years of service
20:44are all the tragedies he has witnessed and lived through.
20:47I've seen accidents.
20:49I've seen people who are taken, who are dead, who are dead.
20:54From all kinds of situations.
20:56The cars, the parents, the families, the mothers, the children who are dead.
20:59From all that you can't imagine.
21:01I've seen people who are burned in front of me when we tried to go out,
21:06with employees and one with my father.
21:08We tried to save lives with cars with fire cars.
21:14It's not possible.
21:15It's our job, but we try to sleep the night after that.
21:18One of Tony's last remarkable operations was a pile-up caused by bad weather.
21:26Over 40 vehicles, one on top of the other.
21:29It took over 15 hours to clear them away.
21:35There were several carambolages here,
21:37but you always talk about 11, 12.
21:39The most we've had was about 20 vehicles.
21:42But there were over 40.
21:44And there were nine semi-remorques that were all engulfed.
21:46They were all engulfed, they were all reversed over the cars.
21:49There were everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.
21:51It's indescriptible how it could be.
21:53We didn't even know where to start.
21:55It's special to say, but it's something to live for a remorqueur.
22:02Blizzards are one of the main causes of accidents in Canada.
22:06But there's another one that's even deadlier
22:08on these icy rural roads.
22:11Alcohol.
22:13The cause of one third of fatal accidents.
22:20In Canada, the law on alcohol is very strict.
22:23It's forbidden to drive with more than 0.08 grams of alcohol in the blood.
22:29Luke, a truck driver, has suffered a tragedy that scarred him forever.
22:34It was just after Christmas.
22:36At the time, Luke was a night delivery driver.
22:40With his colleague, they covered miles of Route 132, regularly changing drivers.
22:46Luke was in the passenger seat at the time of the accident.
22:50The driver of the oncoming car was intoxicated and lost control of his vehicle.
22:56Luke's colleague couldn't avoid the collision and the trailer ended up in a ditch.
23:02And the cabin literally disintegrated.
23:09That's the photos of the car that I've had during accident.
23:12Before the car accident ...
23:15And this kind of engine ...
23:17used it to be here.
23:18And that it spun down.
23:20Everything lasted then ...
23:21The impact ...
23:23The 새 mind was very fierce that it was my door.
23:25My mount up to my light ...
23:28I was projected at the moment of the impact.
23:32And I was thrown between the two seats.
23:34The only space that was left where I was in life
23:37was between the two seats.
23:39And while I was there, the driver, who was my friend,
23:45was dead on the ground at the moment of the accident.
23:48So I was taken three hours next to him.
23:52Three hours waiting for help, which never came.
23:55Three hours not knowing if he'll survive.
23:58Since then, Luc hasn't been the same when he's behind the wheel.
24:16After this terrible accident, it took three years
24:18before Luc gathered the courage to drive a truck again.
24:22Today, he feels very emotional as he comes back to the place
24:26where his life changed forever.
24:28Steve Moffatt
24:29L'impact a lié à peu près aux évologists ici.
24:43On a traversé la voie en sens inverse.
24:46On est descendu dans le fossé avec le camion.
24:49C'est à ce moment,
24:50It was at that time that I stayed for three hours in the car from there.
24:55But the impact was about here.
24:59The Quebec government has made it a priority to tackle alcohol behind the wheel.
25:04Penalties have recently been increased.
25:07A drunk driver who causes a fatal accident now faces life imprisonment.
25:14Alcohol is a real problem in Canada, but it's not the only one the country is struggling with.
25:19In recent years, police and road safety professionals have had to deal with increasingly violent and dangerous drivers who feel they can do whatever they want.
25:30A phenomenon that particularly affects cities.
25:34Back to Montreal. This is the world's largest towing company.
25:38The workers here receive many calls from people in distress or the police.
25:43One moment, please.
25:44Only 23 years old, Sidney is in charge of receiving calls.
25:56He's the one who has to send the right tow truck in the event of an accident.
26:00It's a great responsibility as there are 18,000 call-outs a year in Montreal.
26:05Just a moment.
26:06Just a moment.
26:07Just a moment.
26:08Just a moment.
26:09Just a moment.
26:10What's the plan of your vehicle, sir?
26:13You're spending 110 dollars more than the tax.
26:17To deal with the accidents, Sidney has to send some of the 28 tow trucks they have for passenger cars or the 10 trucks for lorry call-outs.
26:26Thanks to the screens in the control centre, he knows exactly where his trucks are at all times.
26:35He's sort of like an air traffic control officer for tow trucks.
26:38In Quebec, we say a dispatcher.
26:41I'm taking care of the calls and seeing what's the call we send on the intervention to do the service as quickly as possible.
26:53It never takes long for the phone to ring.
26:56One driver has a flat tyre.
26:58Hello, sir.
27:00What is the vehicle to call?
27:02I'll send you my call as possible.
27:04On the other end of the line, is Martin, the tow truck driver.
27:22He works 10 hours a day, six days a week.
27:25With every incident, he has to comply with safety regulations.
27:29Martin knows that being on the side of the road is very dangerous.
27:34Even after his 30 years in service, Martin always stays vigilant.
27:45All the more so on route 132.
27:49It's like a surprise bag.
27:51We don't know what to expect.
27:53It's a surprise all the time.
27:55The 132 is, in my terms, rock and roll.
28:01Because it's four feet wide.
28:04And the road runs very quickly.
28:06The road is in concrete.
28:09So the road doesn't realize that the concrete with water, it doesn't stop like we want.
28:16It's very, very slippery.
28:18And then it runs.
28:20The danger is constantly, constantly there.
28:23The driver he has to help this time, is stuck on the emergency lane of route 132.
28:33Getting out of their vehicle is out of the question.
28:36He has a good reason for this.
28:44A colleague of Martin's recently escaped death.
28:47Everything happened very quickly.
28:55An extreme close call.
28:57The tow truck driver's incredible reflex saved his life.
29:04In Quebec, by law, drivers are required to change lanes if there's an operation in progress.
29:29But clearly not many people follow this rule.
29:32The distress signals make the situation a little better.
29:45But that doesn't stop the drivers who feel the need for speed.
29:49Like this orange car going over 100 kilometers an hour instead of the authorized 70.
29:55The highway patrol finally arrives, and their presence radically changes the behavior of the drivers.
30:10They slow down and change lanes.
30:12Martin is finally able to safely load the vehicle.
30:13Martin is finally able to safely load the vehicle.
30:19These operations are always risky, because even the slightest mistake by a passing driver could be fatal.
30:32In Canada particularly, some drivers drive at incredible speeds, refusing to stop even when the police are chasing them.
30:59Like this biker zigzagging down the highway at over 200 kilometers an hour.
31:06As in the USA, the Canadian police are authorized to stop offenders by any means necessary.
31:13Hit and runs are commonplace in Quebec.
31:20Around 60 happen every day.
31:25As well as high speed chases, that sometimes end violently.
31:31They regularly appear on TV news as the top story.
31:34They regularly appear on TV news as the top story.
31:38It's 5 p.m. and we're back with Sidney, the dispatcher.
31:45He's starting his afternoon job. He's hunting for new scoops.
32:01When he's not dispatching tow trucks, Sidney puts on, as he likes to call it, his radio tracker hat.
32:11He seeks out incidents with camera in hand and his radio tuned in to the emergency services.
32:18He's doing it for the adrenaline, as well as the money.
32:21Local TV stations can pay up to 2,000 euros a month for his footage.
32:26I'm on the road to make the patrols and try to cover a event or two after listening to the radio.
32:36I'm hunting for scoops, hunting for news, hunting for action.
32:44Sidney started this second job in 2014, when he was just 15 years old.
32:49On his bike, he rode from incident to incident, thanks to a radio.
32:53Today, the police are broadcasting on no less than eight stations.
33:01The radios are all on at the same time.
33:04It's an incessant constant hubbub that only Sidney can decipher.
33:09Sidney has a knack for it and never misses. He's quick to recognize when he should get on the case.
33:22Like this chase, he filmed between the police and a drunk driver.
33:40Another day on Route 132, and Sidney hears a signal he recognizes. A message on the police radio sets him off.
34:01Information is pretty scarce, but all indicates that a chase has just ended in a shoot-up.
34:14In Canada, these events, worthy of action movies, are not uncommon.
34:25In the last ten years, gun crime has risen by 81%.
34:28In less than ten minutes, Sidney arrives on the scene.
34:53There's a list of no parking.
35:01The shooting took place in this parking lot in a shopping area, amidst shoppers and families.
35:07The police closed off the area. Sidney gets as close as he can to film the scene.
35:12The victim, the passenger who has been shot twice, is a man in his thirties. He's between life and death.
35:26The victim, the victim, is a man in his thirties. We don't know any circumstances yet.
35:35An incredible story from Route 132 that inevitably attracts other reporters.
35:41But yet again, Sidney got here first.
35:43However, there's more. Sidney receives a phone call from one of his informants.
35:58We have another, we're going. Let's go!
36:02One of you?
36:03One of you.
36:04One of you.
36:05Ten minutes from here.
36:08I've never seen it. I don't even pull the truck.
36:14Two cars are in a crazy chase on Route 132.
36:18The drivers are shooting at each other in the middle of traffic.
36:20It's becoming more and more dangerous, unfortunately.
36:27I'd say two years ago, it's almost never happened.
36:31And now, it's almost everywhere.
36:34We're going to try to see in the area,
36:38if we can't locate the suspect or film the arrest.
36:45Once again, Sidney is the first on the scene.
36:47The police stopped the two cars and arrested the shooters.
36:51They were settling scores related to an arms trafficking deal.
36:55Another exclusive story for the young scoop hunter.
37:04At the other end of Route 132, on the Gaspé Peninsula,
37:08there has been heavy snowfall, over three metres.
37:11Night and day, snow ploughs clear the snow to make the road safer.
37:15The problem is that the mounds of snow they leave on the side of the road reduce visibility.
37:22They make it hard to see perpendicular roads and cars entering Route 132.
37:27Accidents are numerous and unavoidable.
37:32Tony, the king of towing, is of course always in action.
37:35He's just been called to an emergency, a vehicle flipped over onto its roof in a residential area.
37:44Tony learns the extent of the damage.
37:54Tony learns the extent of the damage.
37:58There's debris everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.
38:13For him, the cause of the accident is clear.
38:16A lapse of concentration combined with excessive speed.
38:19There's debris here.
38:20How does it turn out?
38:24Yeah, it's that.
38:26I think they're all here, right?
38:28All right, look at me, I think they're all here.
38:30What's that turn out?
38:31Here's the debris that we've seen.
38:32He's already here.
38:33There's nothing to share with the payload.
38:35There's no eye to the border.
38:36So they're stuck like that.
38:38How did it turn out?
38:39The speed of 100 km heure, it's something...
38:4210 km heure, it's something that...
38:44It was at 100 km heure.
38:46According to me, yes.
38:48Tony goes to see the neighbour.
38:50The impact was so violent that some debris ended up in her parking lot.
38:54We throw the debris, but there will be little bits of dirt.
38:57We don't throw it. We don't throw it on the car.
38:58It's going to get in your car.
39:00She saw the accident happen.
39:03I saw it. I saw it.
39:05You didn't see it?
39:06You didn't see it?
39:07I saw it really fast.
39:10I didn't hear all the debris that hit on my house.
39:15That's right.
39:15That's right.
39:16I'm not sure I saw it far away.
39:19It's good.
39:23An ambulance evacuated the driver.
39:27The task of the fire brigade is to disconnect the battery to prevent the car catching fire.
39:33But given the position of the vehicle, they're going to need Tony's help to access the hood.
39:40The manoeuvre isn't easy.
39:44Tony knows this from experience.
39:49On the frozen road, the operation is indeed more complicated than it looks.
40:00Tony's colleague, Brian, places wooden planks under the roof of the car.
40:19Thanks to these planks,
40:21the car doesn't slide and they manage to flip it over.
40:26The impact has damaged the engine
40:34and a mixture of brake fluid and washer fluid leaks from the vehicle.
40:41Tony has to hurry and disconnect the battery.
40:43We're going to remove it.
40:44We're going to remove it.
40:45We're going to disconnect the battery.
40:46We're going to remove it.
40:47We're going to remove it.
40:52Did you remove the battery?
40:53Yes.
40:54I'm going to remove it.
40:55It's correct.
40:56Crisis averted.
40:57The vehicle can finally be towed.
41:00But Tony has mixed feelings.
41:02He feels that accidents like this are easily avoidable.
41:05Everything's back to normal on Route 132.
41:10The road is clear.
41:12The tow truck and firemen can finally leave the scene.
41:15Thank you, guys.
41:16Good job.
41:17It's like a good day.
41:18You've done a long mission.
41:20I'm not giving you a good day.
41:21Can I help you?
41:22I'll be teaching you.
41:23You've done this, you've done this.
41:24You can do this right now.
41:25The ferry is a good day.
41:26You've done it.
41:27There's no other day.
41:28You've done that before.
41:29That's it.
41:30You've done it.
41:31After the 뇌s, we're on the back of the truck.
41:32It's been off.
41:33You've done it.
41:34You've done it.
41:35You've done it.
41:36That's it.
41:37Everybody's done it.
41:38It's been off.
41:39You've done it.
41:40You've handled it.
41:41With the help of the fire department, the mission was accomplished.
41:46Tony works with them on a daily basis.
41:51At the Omkui fire station, firefighters receive an emergency call
41:55concerning a heavy truck that has gone off the road.
41:59Fire chief Ghislain decides to go all out.
42:13He mobilizes a dozen firefighters for a seemingly straightforward call-up.
42:20No injuries, no major damage, but he's worked on this road before.
42:24He knows it's going to be a long day.
42:29This truck, transporting seven new cars, has gone off the road,
42:45less than five meters from a house.
42:47It is stuck, covered in one meter of snow.
42:51The inhabitants were very lucky.
42:53The consequences could have been catastrophic.
42:59The truck almost ripped out the electrical cables.
43:04If the vehicle had touched the wire, it would have been electrocuted.
43:09To avoid this, a man from the electricity company is dispatched to the site.
43:24He lifts the pole bit by bit and frees the truck.
43:28The driver is relieved.
43:35In 20 years on the job, this is his first accident.
43:40Yes, yes, I understand.
43:41Yes, yes, I understand.
43:42Yes, yes, yes.
43:43Yes, yes, yes.
43:44Yes, yes, yes.
43:45It was in the morning.
43:46With the sun that was low, we had a bad visibility.
43:50And there was a vehicle who decided to put his flasher in the last moment
43:54to turn to the left.
43:55I tried to avoid it.
43:57Then I went away.
43:59As if it wasn't enough, another problem occurs during the operation.
44:05Typical for this time of year, the snow is blocking the wheels in their tracks.
44:18For Guislain, a single tow truck won't be enough to pull the 30-ton vehicle
44:22and its 20 tons of goods.
44:24There's a risk of the car's overturning.
44:40Guislain decides to call in a second tow truck.
44:52Yes, yes.
44:53I'm going to go back to the rear seat.
44:54I'm going to go back to the rear seat.
44:55I'm going to go back to the rear seat.
44:56I'm going to go back to the rear seat.
44:57I'm going to go back to the rear seat.
45:00Firefighters and tow truckers join forces to free the vehicle.
45:04They attach chains to the last trailer, in the middle, and to the truck's front axle.
45:16Little by little, the truck is pulled from the snow that's trapping it.
45:19All in all, the operation took over five hours.
45:31The truck will undergo several tests before it can get on the road again.
45:35The safety of the driver and other users of Route 132 is at stake.
45:40For Guislain and his men, mission accomplished.
45:43We're going to leave it. There's no danger for diesel fuel.
45:50We're going to leave the places.
45:52It's good. We're going. Thank you.
45:55Good luck.
45:56Heavy trucks and precarious situations.
45:59This happens daily on Route 132.
46:02It's the only supply route in all of eastern Quebec.
46:05Here, trucks account for more than half of all traffic.
46:08And there's a climatic phenomenon that drivers here fear in particular.
46:16Snow drifts.
46:18Snow drifts are wind-blown powder snow that accumulates on the roads.
46:23With the incessant flow of vehicles, the snow hardens and forms a thin film that is as slippery as it is invisible.
46:29Tony D'Anjou, the tow truck driver, has to help a vehicle that has skidded off the road as a result of a snow drift.
46:38A camion on a Mirabonc with 53 feet.
46:41It dropped certainly because of the chaussée.
46:45Look at how it does. The snow is falling.
46:47It's a accumulation of snow.
46:50The car is falling in it.
46:53It's lost control.
46:54The 30-ton truck, jackknifed, is currently blocking one of the two lanes.
47:01The police are forced to direct traffic.
47:05The truck driver comes to meet Tony.
47:12Just a little bit.
47:14You wear the load or empty? Empty.
47:18In a situation like this, there can never be too many people helping.
47:25We have the auto truckies coming.
47:28For the back.
47:31Me pull the front.
47:33The truck driver is a regular on this stretch of Route 132.
47:37He was trying to avoid a car when he ran off the road.
47:39Yeah, there's a car in front of me.
47:50Yeah, what?
47:52He just pushed the brake harder.
47:54He used to use the engine brakes again.
47:56He was going fast, then he was going a little too much slow.
47:59So I had to press the brake to save him.
48:01So that's why I just got a...
48:05And you, are you okay?
48:06Yeah, yeah.
48:07The cab is perpendicular to the trailer.
48:09When a truck is jackknifed, it's like a turtle on its back.
48:22It can't move on its own.
48:26It cannot get on the road without the help of Tony and his colleagues,
48:30who arrive with the second tow truck.
48:32It will pull the trailer while the first tow truck tows the cabin.
48:35Release the truck, please.
48:36I told him to take the brakes on the car and put them on the car.
48:38Turn the wheel.
48:40That's it.
48:42The chains are attached and the operation can begin.
48:43Are you able to remove the car a little bit?
48:45It's going to fall down the road.
48:47Okay, wait a minute.
48:49It's a slacked wheel.
48:50The co-ordination and synchronization of the two tow trucks must be perfect.
49:05Turn the wheel.
49:06The other side.
49:08Turn the wheel.
49:09The other side.
49:11In just 30 minutes, the truck is back to normal and on the road again.
49:12It can continue delivering the goods to its destination.
49:13The other truck is back to normal and on the road again.
49:15It can continue delivering the goods to its destination.
49:23In just 30 minutes, the truck is back to normal and on the road again.
49:34It can continue delivering the goods to its destination.
49:53The price for the call-out was 800 euros.
49:59Even with his loaded schedule, there's one operation Tony wouldn't miss for the world.
50:12Picking up his daughter from school in no ordinary vehicle.
50:17At the age of 10, Lea dreams of one day becoming a truck driver herself, even if she has to
50:27sacrifice a lot.
50:47Even if it can be really hard, I would be happy to do it like my father, but when people
50:53come to thank you for saving your life or just helping them, it makes you proud and I think
50:59that you can be proud of yourself.
51:02Tony is one of the guardian angels on Route 132.
51:06While his job is to simply help people out of trouble, this road represents much more
51:11than just a place of work for him.
51:13In this part of Canada, Mother Nature is as majestic as she is dangerous.
51:42Tonight, Tony takes Lea to the end of Route 132 to admire the landscape he never has time
51:51to see when he's on duty.
51:54For once, he doesn't worry about what awaits him tomorrow.
Recommended
2:53
|
Up next
1:57
50:11
45:27
6:17