Shae Kearns says he was forced to crash into the ditch when an oncoming car entered his lane. UPDATE 12:40 p.m The driver of a lorry which burst into flames after crashing along Longhill Road this morning has come out at first. “There was a really awesome lady that was behind me that helped me out and made sure I got out of the car. I didn’t even realize it was on fire,” said Shae Kearns. “I was just trying to grab my personal belongings and he basically shooed me away saying get the hell out, your car is going to blow up! And it ended up blowing up, so I was very lucky.” Kearns says he had just turned from Longhill Rd. on Rifle Rd. when another vehicle drifted into his lane. “The only way I could go without hitting him straight on is to slide my car to the right and it goes straight into the bank,” he explains. He says the other vehicle did not stop at the scene. Another driver behind him tried to get a license plate number but couldn’t see it. Kearns is a DoorDash driver and was on his way to deliver several bags of salt to a customer when he crashed. Unfortunately, his $30,000 truck insurance lapsed two days ago. He and his wife have been left without a vehicle. Their other car was scheduled to come into the shop for repairs today. “The key was on the lanyard that was in my truck and it’s completely burned. So now we have to find a way to get a key to take it to the store,” he said. Although he did not receive medical treatment at the scene, he plans to go to his doctor to be checked for injuries. “I hit the center console quite hard and my back and shoulder are a bit raised. I got a little burn on my hand, but that’s about it.” Kearns hopes the other driver will come forward or someone will have information that would help with a possible insurance claim, though he admits that’s unlikely due to his lapsed insurance on the truck. ORIGINAL 9:25 am Slick snow plays havoc with driving conditions in Kelowna. Longhill Road is closed after a lorry fell into a ditch and caught fire just after the roundabout at Valley Road. Traffic is backed up on nearby Glenmore Road. A passenger told Castanet it took about 35 minutes to travel from Cross Road and Glenmore to downtown Kelowna. Photo: Contributed A lorry was engulfed in flames after it crashed along Longhill Road near Valley Road.
