Dump truck slams into North Bay home

A dump truck driver lost control Friday morning and hit an unoccupied house in North Bay.

The driver was not injured.

Mason Truswell, a neighbour, was first on the scene. He tells BayToday, a sister site of SooToday, that he, another neighbour and a motorist all started to give assistance after the incident, which occurred around 10:15 a.m.

"The three of us made sure everyone was alright, then a gas leak started so everyone backed away."

Deputy Fire Chief Greg Saunders says Enbridge was called immediately and quickly cut the gas to the home at 594 Nipissing St. with no further incident.

"We checked the adjacent properties to make sure all the atmospheric conditions were safe. The firefighters did have to get into the home to ensure there was nobody home. Rescue is always our primary concern and there thankfully, was nobody home."

A structural engineer will now have to assess the property before the dump truck is removed.

Carly Price is the Chief Building Official for the City. She tells BayToday that while the fire department is still on-site, the structural engineer will make an assessment of what work needs to be completed before the truck is moved and then determine what further steps are needed to make the building safe for occupancy.

"We're looking at some substantial foundation repairs as there is a large section of the foundation that was impacted and actually removed. The front corner walls of the house will also need to be reconstructed which ultimately affects the whole structure of the home because it is a two-storey structure.

"For the work to be completed, it does seem like it can be repaired, but that will be based on the structural engineer's evaluation today."

North Bay police confirmed that no injuries were reported as a result of the collision, and at this time, no charges have yet been laid. The police investigation is ongoing.