A prisoner in his van on Highway 40 for two hours

A driver of a pickup truck was partially crushed by a semi-trailer truck on Highway 40 west Wednesday morning, trapped in the wreckage of his vehicle for two hours, and finally freed by firefighters.

The spectacular collision occurred just before 10 a.m. on Highway 40 West, just before reaching the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge that connects Chennyville and Vaudreuil-Dorion.

“During its lane change, the heavyweight collided with the van,” said Sûreté du Québec spokesman Sergeant Nicolas Scholtes.

The van was partially embedded under a semi-trailer truck, holding its driver captive.

The van was pulling a trailer with a herd of cows inside. No animals were injured during the events, but firefighters had to put them down at one point to cool them down.

Montreal firefighters worked hard for two hours to free the injured driver from his critical condition.

Using the Jaws of Life, they had to cut the van to pieces to get to their victim.

The man was extricated and taken to hospital at 11:45am, exactly 120 minutes after the accident.

His injuries are not life-threatening.

Due to this spectacular accident, Highway 40 West was completely closed to traffic for a long time. Motorists wishing to cross Lac des Deux-Montagnes via the Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge can return to the highway by taking Highway 20, then Highway 30 for several minutes.