A semi-truck that crashed into a barn in Westwold this past summer contained medical samples that were being transported for testing.
The truck crashed into the functioning wooden barn around 8:30 p.m. July 16. The driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries from the single-vehicle crash on Highway 97.
Interior Health confirmed the contents of the truck to The Morning Star on Oct. 15, saying all of the medical samples were labratory specimens being transported to partnering facilities for testing.
All of the samples that were in the truck have been returned to Interior Health to be discarded or stored, and samples were incinerated or retained as required by provincial guidelines, the health authority said in an email.
"The Interior Health laboratory team responded swiftly and professionally to this event. Physicians were promptly consulted, patients were contacted so their samples could be recollected, and all regulatory notifications were completed -- well before the samples were even returned to Interior Health," the email states. "While the courier accident was an unfortunate event, the timely and coordinated response from our IH teams helped limit potential impacts."
The transporting of samples is a regular occurence, according to the health authority.
"Not all lab tests are performed within a health authority. Transport of samples to the coast is performed routinely across the province," Interior Health said.
The health authority transports specimens daily from across the Interior region to labratories in either Kelowna General Hospital or Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, where they are packed and transported to various provincial testing facilities in compliance with diagnostic accreditation program standards and Transport Canada regulations.
"Physicians here receive the test results regardless of where the testing is done," Interior Health said.
Meanwhile, the transport truck still remains in the barn.
The area is gated off, enclosing the old barn which is still standing but crumbling around the truck that broadsided the barn and came to rest with the front end of the truck busting out an adjacent wall.