Akmal Hayat accused of being trucker in near-crash video that went viral
Milton man charged with careless driving and leaving the scene north of Nipigon, Ont.
Provincial police say they have charged Akmal Hayat of Milton, Ont., with careless driving following a near-crash between two tractor-trailers on Highway 11 in northern Ontario last month.
The 31-year-old was also charged with failing to remain and report, contrary to the Highway Traffic Act, police said.
OPP tracked down Hayat after a video and audio recording of the incident was widely distributed on social media.
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The video, which was recorded by a dashboard camera in the northbound truck, showed the northbound driver being forced to steer his vehicle into guardrails alongside Highway 11 to avoid a head-on collision with the oncoming tractor-trailer that was in the process of passing a snowplow. The driver of the oncoming transport truck continued south on Highway 11.
After examining and enhancing the video, OPP said they were able to identify the vehicle involved in the incident.
"I'm glad they have been able to identify the driver. Again, I did not do this to throw the driver under the bus, but I just wanted him identified for my insurance company," said Art Ginter, the driver whose dashboard camera captured the event, in a previous interview with CBC News.
In an earlier news release, Nipigon OPP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Randy Bye said, "it was obvious from the video ... that this incident could have easily resulted in much more tragic circumstances."
Bye said the investigation was a lengthy one, and involved 40 to 50 hours of work by members of three different platoons. He told CBC News that officers put in "a lot of legwork digging through company files and information ... there was a lot of time and effort."