Incident prompts Westmount to equip truck with cameras

The City of Westmount is undertaking a pilot project to make sure its trucks steer clear of accidents during the winter months.

A single snow removal truck will be equipped with two small cameras to ensure its drivers can see all angles.

The safety measures are being taken following the death of Jessica Holman-Price in 2005.

Price slid under the wheels of a snow removal truck at the corner of Strathcona and Sherbrooke Streets. Her brother was seriously injured in the incident.

Their mother, Jeanette Holman-Price, said the cameras are a step in the right direction.

"I know in the case of my children, the first thing the driver said was he didn't see them," she said. "If a camera like this had been installed, the incident that happened to my children won't happen again."

To improve safety, Westmount was one of the first cities to install guard rails on the sides of its trucks. Holman-Price's father, Peter Price, was the engineer behind the invention.

Together, the two cameras cost approximately $500 per truck and give drivers a view of the back and sides of the vehicle. It significantly reduces blind spots.

If the pilot project is successful, the city said it wishes to add cameras to all of its trucks and hopes other cities will do the same.