Between $3 million and $5 million worth of Canadian coins spilled from a Brinks truck onto a remote northern Ontario highway after a crash Wednesday, CTV News reported.
The truck crossed the centerline before slamming into a rock face, triggering a pileup involving another tractor-trailer carrying candy and a mini-van.
“It is rather unique in the fact that such a sizable amount of Canadian currency is strewn about a collision,” police Const. Marc Depatie told CTV. “We are going to be using magnets and other less sophisticated means of collecting the cargo.”
Police used shovels and rakes to clear the road, while clean-up crews brought in a massive magnet normally seen in scrap yards to speed the efforts.
Canada doesn’t use paper $1 and $2 bills anymore, instead opting for coins called loonies and toonies.
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The semi drivers were both hospitalized with serious injuries, although the van’s driver escaped relatively unharmed.
Police say poor visibility and snowy roads may have contributed to the crash, which occurred early Wednesday near Kirkland Lake, Ont. – about seven hours north of Toronto.
Police said they closed the highway to prevent anyone from helping themselves, The Toronto Star said.
“There is lots of security there now,” Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Mark Andrews said.
The road was expected to be closed until early Thursday.
“Armoured vehicles have been involved in collisions before, but they are usually not compromised so that may give you an indication of the severity of the impact,” Andrews said. “We have never had a high value load like this spilled. … We have never had a Brinks truck of any nature ever split open on us before.”
The second truck was reportedly carrying candy, although there were no reports of that being spilled to the same degree, CBC said.
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