A 24-year-old Barrie man is facing several charges after crashing a pickup truck through a median and into the side of a building Wednesday night.
City police say the vehicle was travelling northbound on Duckworth Street in the north end just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1 when it inexplicably swerved out of control.
“As it approached the intersection of Rose Street, for reasons unknown, it veered into the centre median, struck the automatic traffic signal post and it sheared off,” Peter Leon, the department's communications co-ordinator, told BarrieToday.
The vehicle then continued across the roadway before coming to a stop beside a dumpster at one of the Georgian College student residences, he added.
Both the male driver and a female passenger fled the scene on foot; however, they were located a short distance away at a nearby home.
The man has been charged with driving a motor vehicle without a licence, careless driving and failure to remain at the scene of a crash.
What caused the driver to swerve is unknown, Leon said.
“There’s nothing to suggest a reason why it should have taken place, but perhaps (it's) the fact that he’s an unlicensed driver,” he said.
The crash also caused significant damage and resulted in repairs to the traffic light, forcing a lane closure on Wednesday night.
“That’s not a repair that can easily be done at that time at night … The post was sheared off right at ground level," Leon said.
Given where the crash occurred, Leon said it’s lucky no one was walking by at the time.
“You’ve got a vehicle that makes contact with a light standard, is out of control … we can be thankful that for whatever reason it slid into that little embankment as opposed to going into that residence," he added.
