Windshields smashed after rocks thrown from N.S. highway overpass

Todd Laffin was driving his tractor-trailer down a pitch black Highway 102 in Lantz, N.S., when he was suddenly surrounded by flying glass.

"It was like a gun going off inside the cab of the truck. I had no idea what was going on," said the 48-year-old man from Truro.

"I was in shock. I had no idea what happened — but then I saw the rock."

His vehicle was one of three damaged by large rocks that were thrown into traffic from the new overpass on Highway 102 just after 12 a.m. Saturday, the RCMP said.

Sgt. Andrew Joyce said no one was injured, but the outcome could have been much worse.

"For vehicles that are moving at the speed you're normally driving at in certain areas, it's common sense that bad things could happen and likely would happen," Joyce said Sunday.

"Fortunately … the drivers reacted superbly."

Laffin said he took his foot off the gas and lifted his hand off the steering wheel to protect his face when the rock struck. Luckily, his 18-wheeler remained straight on the road.

Once he got his bearings, Laffin pulled off to the side of the road and called 911. He said he had a small shard of glass in his eye, but was able to flush it out with water.

The windshield of his truck was smashed, the back window was cracked and there was also damage to the dashboard, he said.

The rock came to rest on the floor of the passenger side. Laffin, who just celebrated his birthday on Friday, described it as being about the size of two pop cans.

"It's baffling why someone would want to do that," said Laffin, who was hauling a load of flyers from Bedford to Cape Breton.

"You've got to think, 'I've got probably 80,000 pounds rolling down the highway.' I could have easily crashed my truck and, if it didn't kill me, I could have killed somebody else."

Joyce said officers searched the area early Saturday, but did not find any suspects.

He added that it is "bewildering why anybody would want to do something like this."

"Maybe they didn't think about what kind of injuries something like this could inflict on anyone. It's possibly the person that they inflict it on could be somebody dear to them. You don't know who's passing by," he said.

Laffin said his father — who is also his boss — has estimated there's roughly $4,000 in damage to the truck.

"But my dad said, 'That's stuff is minor.' Yeah, it pisses him off because it's our insurance that has to pay for it. But he said it's better than going to a funeral," said Laffin.

The RCMP are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Enfield detachment.

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