Ice chunk slides off transport truck, hits pickup like 'big bullet'

A man in Central Newfoundland sayshe's lucky to be alive after his pickupwas hit by a chunk of ice that slid off the trailer of an oncoming transport truck.

Paul Denty was driving on the Trans-Canada Highway near Gambo with his wife in the passenger seat when the incident happened.

I said, "I don't know if you realize but you almost killed me back there."- Paul Denty

"It was like a big bullet, in my opinion," Denty told CBC News, showing how his front bumper had been bent by the ice.

Denty saidthe ice was as big as the top of a coffee table four feet long, three feet wide and three inches thick.

"We took a piece out of the grill that was about three inches thick, we figure," said Denty.

"I think if it did come through the windshield it would have either seriously injured me or it would have killed me."

Thousands in Damage

Denty pulled over after the hit to make sure heand his wife weren't injured. Then he chased after the transport truck, signaling for the driver to pull over so he could get his information.

"I said, 'I don't know if you realize but you almost killed me back there,'" Denty said he told the driver."He was pretty cooperative. They've co-operating pretty good. They're fixing the vehicle for me."

Denty said repairs will cost several thousand dollars.

Inspection Improvements

Dentysaid his close call should be a reminderto all drivers to check their vehicles for snow and ice before they hit the road.

"I know the vehicles are high and it's dangerous to put a ladder on the ice to check their truck," said Denty.

"But maybe the Government of Newfoundland and Labradoror someone at the weigh scales could put something there, like a load check similar to logging trucks."

Denty said he'd like to see enforcement officers continue to ticketvehicles driving without clearing their vehicles of snow.

• Slab of ice flew off van, hit truck that went off the road, say police

Earlier this month the RCMPin Placentia released a photo showing a large slab of ice that flew off a cargo van, smashing the windshield of a pickup and forcing the truck off the road.