[Narrator] This time on Heavy Rescue: 401...
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
[Narrator] ...a massive snowstorm...
...buries Toronto.
Come on.
[Narrator] Ice and fire...
Aw, this doesn't look good.
[Narrator] ...create a dangerous mix...
It ain't gonna work.
[Narrator] ...and deep snow...
I've only seen snow like this maybe twice in my life.
[Narrator] ...brings deep problems.
[John] So close, but so far.
[radio] Good morning, and if you're headed out,
you're being assaulted by a whole lot of snow.
This dumping is making for a very slick and slippery drive.
[radio] We've got snow, heavy at times,
and that is going to continue on and off through the day
into the afternoon hours.
[honking]
Now, we've already seen a ton of snow accumulate so far,
plows are trying to keep up with the pace of it,
but through the morning,
we could see up to three to five centimetres of snow
falling per hour.
[Narrator] The edge of a huge weather system
is moving north and pushing its way into Toronto.
[Narrator] Overnight, the immense blast of snow
outran maintenance crews...
[Narrator] ...and this storm is parking over the city...
to stay.
[Kerry] 7:30, it's still dark, blowing snow,
you really can't see much more
than a hundred metres in front of you.
[Narrator] On the westbound 401 near the DVP,
Sergeant Kerry Schmidt
has already been on the job for hours.
[Kerry] There's a massive system
coming up from the southern United States.
It's tracking north, tracking northeast,
and it's going to hit the GTA, southern Ontario,
and it looks big.
Oh boy, we've got every car stuck.
[Narrator] With the worst yet to come,
police urge drivers to stay off the roads...
[Narrator] ...but some of them didn't get the memo.
We've already got dozens of calls
for crashes and wrecks
and vehicles stuck in snowbanks.
My advice to everybody,
if you can stay home, this is the day to stay home.
These guys going?
Turn off your traction control!
A lot of times, drivers don't really know
how to get through this snow.
The TCS on the top left.
Press that so it's lit up.
Now floor it.
Turning off your traction control
will allow those wheels to get spinning
and hopefully bite in a little bit to the ground
to get yourself moving again.
There you go. Magic.
Don't hit me. Don't hit me.
There you go.
[Narrator] As Kerry heads farther west,
into Mississauga,
another driver caught unprepared for the onslaught.
Are you stuck?
Sometimes it's just that extra push that we need
to get that vehicle to get off the highway
as quickly as possible.
Put it in drive. Okay, go. Floor it.
Straighten your wheel.
Turn left. Go buy winter tires.
[driver] Thank you!
Floor it.
Keep going. Don't stop. Don't stop.
[Kerry] I've seen big snowstorms in the past,
but something like this
in such a short duration of time,
this is something I don't think I've ever seen before.
Everything's just stopped here.
No one's moving anywhere.
There's probably a dozen transport trucks
I just passed.
Just unbelievable.
[♪♪♪]
[radio] It's an absolute mess both ways across the GTA
on the 401.
Numerous issues on the eastbound side
just east of the 427.
We have all express and collector lanes
completely blocked off
with many motorists that are completely stuck in the snow.
[Narrator] On the eastbound 401
just past the heart of the city...
[Narrator] ...an army of snowplows
is trying to clear the road,
but a long lineup of stuck vehicles
is blocking the way.
[driver] It's one of the worst storms
I've been in for a long time.
It's nuts.
That's the best way to put it.
It's absolute chaos.
[Kerry] The sooner we can get the traffic off the highway,
the sooner the plows can get moving.
It is nuts.
There's no one moving.
I ain't getting home anytime soon.
[Narrator] 20 kilometres to the west...
[phone ringing]
400 northbound from the 401,
vehicles stuck in the snow,
plow echelon unable to make its way through.
[Narrator] ...the Compass operations crew
is fighting to keep up with the mayhem.
MTO Compass, Joseph here.
I have never seen anything as chaotic as today.
There are over 120 cameras,
and there's literally an incident going on
and flashing lights at just about every camera.
Patrol 40, I have three tractor-trailers
blocking the southbound Leslie ramp.
[phone ringing]
Just gonna work through it one call at a time
and make sure that everybody gets home safely.
[Narrator] But drivers can't get home...
[siren wailing]
[Narrator] ...if no one is moving.
[Kerry] Right now, traffic conditions are miserable.
Traffic has essentially stopped.
They have nowhere to go.
[Narrator] So some drivers are working to help one another.
We stuck here for one and a half hour.
This gentleman and the other two guys,
and then they came to help me out.
I just came over here to help this guy get out of the snow.
You know, he's stuck. Pretty bad.
This is bad.
You in reverse?
Just easy, easy, easy.
Turn your wheel a little bit.
[straining]
-No. No. -It's, like, stuck, eh?
Yeah, it's real stuck.
We'll do what we can
to try to get someone to help you, okay?
No problem, buddy.
[Kerry] Are you stuck?
Go. Go. Go.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
Floor it. Keep going. Don't stop. Don't stop.
If you don't have winter tires,
don't drive on a day like today.
Oh, what a mess!
[Narrator] As Kerry nears the exit to the 400,
problems only get bigger.
[Narrator] Cars attempting to escape the highway
are now stuck on the ramp.
[siren wailing]
[Kerry] Oh, boy.
All right, let's go for a walk.
So we got major problems here on the 401.
Totally blocked off.
No access to the 400 northbound,
all due to two transport trucks that are blocked on this ramp.
The challenge is this is a single-lane ramp.
If any one person would have abandoned their vehicle,
there'd be no way to get these vehicles moving again,
so everyone is staying with their vehicles
waiting for help.
Do you have food?
[driver] Yes, I have.
Do you have a charger for your phone?
-Yes. -You got fuel?
[driver] I have.
-Okay. All right, stay warm. -Okay.
[Kerry] It's going to take some time
before we get the traffic recovered,
the vehicles removed, and then the highways cleared.
People that chose to get out on the roads
are now stuck trying to figure out how to get home.
[Narrator] The workday hasn't even started,
and all of Toronto is at a dead stop.
We've got a couple of transport trucks blocking lanes.
They're not going anywhere until we get heavy tows.
There is no way these vehicles can get out
without any sort of mechanical help.
[Narrator] The biggest snowstorm in two decades
has immobilized traffic across Toronto.
[radio] It is a little bit of a nightmare drive
because of all the snow being dumped on us.
We still have express and collection lanes
completely blocked right now with numerous collisions.
South 400, there is no access to the 401 ramps at all,
and there's going to be plows
that are gonna be trekking through this area
to try to make it safer.
[plow driver] This is the worst I've ever seen here
in 20 years on the 401.
[Narrator] Plow crews are ready to help,
but they're also stuck in the backlog.
We're just waiting to get traffic cleared
so we can move again.
[Narrator] Even if cars can reach an off-ramp,
those ramps are buried under snow.
[Narrator] Drivers are trapped.
[radio] The southbound Kennedy Road on-ramp
and the southbound Markham Road on-ramp
are both shut down because of poor road conditions.
The southbound MacCowan Road ramp closed for a crash,
and the westbound 401 Express at Victoria Park
dealing with a stalled vehicle as well.
[Kerry] Tow truck's here.
[Narrator] At the eastbound 401 ramp to the 400...
[Kerry] Oh boy.
You are an angel.
[Narrator] ...the help that Kerry's been hoping for
has arrived.
[Kerry] Are you going to start winching these guys?
[Corey] I'm going to start with this tanker first.
[Kerry] The tanker, yeah.
[Corey] This is one of the main arteries in and out of GTA.
We've got to clear this ramp
in order to get the arteries open again.
[Narrator] So SD Towing's Corey Payne
gets right to work.
This is Newfoundland snow, not the GTA.
This is the most snow I've seen
in all my years in Ontario.
The last time I've seen snow like this
was when I lived in Newfoundland.
The snow is still coming, eh?
[Narrator] But the slippery ramp
is fighting Corey's wrecker.
[Corey] There's not enough traction
with all the snow and ice underneath,
so I've got to winch him up,
and it's taking more time.
I'm going to be quite a while.
I've got five trucks here on this ramp.
[Kerry] Oh, you're winching, and then...
Yeah, all I do is spin.
Once I get them pretty much on the flat,
I can pull them. -Okay.
[Narrator] Corey can only manage to budge the tanker
a few feet at a time.
[Corey] That's the most he's moved in six hours.
I've got to pull my winch line out so far,
winch the truck so close to me,
and then reset myself to pull them further up again
in order to get this ramp clear.
I should be able to pull ya!
Hopefully this works.
If I was able to use the tire chains
like they use out in BC and Alberta,
it would make it easier,
but here in the GTA,
we're not allowed to use tire chains for any ice
because they can damage the roads.
[Narrator] One truck is clear...
[Corey] Perfect.
[Narrator] ...but it's just the beginning.
[Kerry] Traffic is not moving on the 401 eastbound,
and they're all hopeful
that they can get on to the 400 northbound
to get out of this mess,
so if we can clear this ramp,
we can relieve pressure all the way downstream.
Oh, my goodness, what a mess.
[Narrator] If Kerry can get some snow cleared
for the wrecker to operate,
he could speed up the process.
[Kerry] Is it possible to get a single plow
to come here and just clear out a lane?
'Cause then instead of that tow winching all the way up here,
he can just winch it to the pavement,
and then they can start rolling.
These vehicles have now been stuck and stranded here
for hours.
If we can clear this ramp,
we can hopefully get this traffic moving again.
[Narrator] But only if a plow can make its way in.
[supervisor] My guys are coming down now.
[Kerry] Awesome, thanks, buddy!
[Narrator] Less than four kilometres east,
at Keele Street...
...the ramp onto the westbound highway
has been blocked all morning...
Sometimes you have to use the winches!
[Narrator] ...and Abrams Towing's Chad Grenier
is fighting to get it clear.
It's all ice under here, eh?
I just keep sliding sideways.
So I'm going to pull it out and do it with the winch again.
The ramp is completely blocked off.
There's probably a foot to two feet of deep snow.
It's pretty bad.
Trying to keep the roads clean,
but it's hard to get around 'cause of all the traffic.
It's snowpocalypse. Gotta do your job.
Parking brake!
I'm going to pull you up the rest of the way.
I'm on my way out of here,
but we're getting hundreds of calls in
over the highway,
and it's all hands on deck.
[Narrator] 200 kilometres down the 401,
southwestern Ontario has been spared
from the massive snowfall...
[Narrator] ...but drivers here
are facing problems of their own.
[Narrator] Icy conditions
have overtaken the roads around London...
[Narrator] ...and just east of town...
...westbound traffic is squeezing
around a multi-vehicle crash on the 401.
[Narrator] A car lost control on black ice,
forcing a grain-hauler to swerve
and slam right into a garbage truck.
It's extremely dangerous.
It's just a reminder
to please pay 110% to your driving ability,
reduce your speed,
make sure you pay attention to what's in front of you
to ensure that you can stop safely.
Yeah, it's real slippery out here.
[Narrator] The Ross Services crew
is clearing crashes up and down the 401 and 402,
so for now, rotator op Austin Hutchinson
is working solo.
[Austin] Hopefully the slippery road
will help us out a little bit here,
sliding this thing sideways.
It might, it might not.
We've kind of got trucks spread out all over the place
tackling jobs.
See if I can't take care of business on my own here.
Do you want to try and scootch it down?
[Narrator] Over the past three winters,
Austin has worked closely with lead op Mike Ross
to take on big recoveries.
Tighten it up.
[Austin] When you're able to work with somebody like that,
it definitely makes it easier.
Very slowly, one at a time.
Oh, we got 'er!
We're pretty in sync,
and we've got a system figured out
that works for us.
Okay, put your brakes on!
[Narrator] But right now, Austin's got to try
to get the job done all on his own.
[Austin] There's a couple cars involved as well,
and obviously this guy
got tangled up into this tractor here.
[Narrator] The first step,
separate the grain-hauler from the garbage truck.
[Austin] Trying to drag this thing completely sideways,
it's a little bit of a gamble.
[Narrator] The hauler weighs in at over 80,000 pounds,
but without his crew,
Austin's hoping that the icy conditions
will help it slide.
We can try.
It outweighs my truck by probably almost double,
but I'm trying to get things going as quickly as I can.
Come on!
Come on.
It's loaded, there's a lot of weight in there.
Looks like cornmeal or something.
Come on, pull out.
Aw...
I just gotta put a block in there
so it'll pull a little harder.
It's stalling my winch out.
See if that'll bite.
Come on!
That ain't going to work.
Dammit.
[Narrator] On the 401 east of London...
[Narrator] ...westbound traffic
is crawling past Dorchester Road...
[honking]
[Narrator] ...and working solo,
Austin Hutchinson
can't out-muscle the loaded grain-hauler...
[Austin] Ain't going to work.
[Narrator] ...but some heavyweight backup
has just arrived on scene...
Mike Ross and crew.
Hi.
What's the plan here? What were you using?
Both drag winches, or what? -Yeah.
[Mike] He was just pulling sideways
on the front of the drives there,
and experienced a little more resistance
than he expected.
Want to get your boom swung over
and give her a little lift there?
[Austin] I think I'm going to have to.
[Mike] I suggested Austin
grab a hold of the back of the dump trailer.
That way, we can kind of lift and pull at the same time
rather than just try and drag it.
Okay, going up.
[Austin] It takes a little bit longer,
but that's what had to happen.
Yeah, just hold tight on it. Watch your fingers.
[Mike] If we can get a little upwards lift on it
and drag it away from that other trailer...
a little easier.
Okay. We're good.
All righty, you can get out of the way there,
and we'll get Billy to hook that up
and get it out of here.
It just needed a little lift.
It's so much weight inside this trailer
that it's going to fight no matter what.
[Narrator] With the traffic backup building by the minute...
...they need to move the hauler away
and tackle the second truck fast.
[Billy] We got a small fire in there.
A small fire in there?
[Narrator] But there's a problem...
...that nobody expected.
Dammit! Bill? Be 9/16ths.
[Narrator] Back in Toronto...
...drivers are still battling ramps engulfed by heavy snow.
-We have ramps where there's multiple vehicles stuck.
They can't get off the highway,
they can't get on the highway.
[Narrator] Maintenance crews are fighting to clear the roads.
[plow driver] A lot of snow, it gets heavy to push.
Days like this are not easy.
[Narrator] ...but they can't clear the ramps
as long as stuck traffic is in the way.
[driver] It's very important to clear the ramp.
First of all, it's how we get everybody off the highway
so we can clean it properly,
and it's how everyone needs to get back to their places.
[Narrator] At the exit to the 400...
...Corey Payne has opened enough room
for one plow to make it in...
We're clearing the ramp downwards
so that we can try to get the trucks up quicker.
Hopefully it'll clear up the backlog.
Come on, guys!
[Kerry] If we get the snow cleared out
of the area in front of these trucks,
it would be easier for them
to only have to get winched a short distance
before they can get traction.
Yeah!
[Narrator] ...and the plow...
-[beeping] -Oh, crap!
[Narrator] ...is all out of room.
It's kind of jammed up down there.
Could you move if this guy can get out of the way?
[Kerry] Even the plow is having trouble,
and it's getting stuck.
[Narrator] Kerry needs to open up some space.
[Kerry] Can you drive?
Come forward all the way,
and I'm going to see if this guy can get going.
Okay.
Okay, try it.
Yeah, come on, let's go.
Nice!
Keep it going. Keep it going.
You want to try to get out?
Get good speed!
Yeah!
Okay, we're in good shape here now.
Beauty!
[Narrator] A frustrating day on this ramp...
[Kerry] Oh, beautiful, man.
[Narrator] ...might finally be coming to an end.
Come on!
[Kerry] There's a long line of traffic
that's waiting to get through here.
Let's go, let's go.
Everyone's happy to see some progress being made.
Beautiful. Eight hours later.
We finally have that ramp open,
the 401 eastbound ramp to the 400 north.
[Narrator] They've opened up a vital escape route,
but it's just one victory.
[Kerry] I still see the 401 eastbound jammed,
so we still have work to do.
[radio] Well, we still have a laundry list of problems.
Multiple stalls and spun-out vehicles...
[Narrator] Just east of London on the 401...
All right, Dave, I'm good.
[Narrator] ...the Ross crew has cut off the power
and put out the fire.
[Mike] The front axle and spring
shifted into the starter wire
and caused it to arc against the frame of the truck,
so we've disconnected the batteries
to stop the wires from burning.
Let's get this road open.
We're going to get this thing hooked up
and get out of here.
[Narrator] Traffic has been funneling into a single lane
for over three hours.
The crew needs to avoid any further delays.
[Austin] Not really many options
for people to detour off the highway,
so it's definitely a big priority
that we get this cleaned up as quickly as possible.
[Mike] We just got to get it out of the way
so we can get on this other one.
Okay? -Okay.
[Narrator] But as they tow the grain-hauler away...
[Mike] A little tricky one.
[Narrator] ...the crew sees that the second casualty
will require some rigging finesse.
The cab's kind of hanging over the median here
into the eastbound side of the highway.
This thing has taken some significant damage.
Come on!
[Austin] The whole front end is mangled off of it.
You've gotta verify
that you are hooking onto something solid
before you start trying to drag this thing away...
Yeah, there you go.
...especially with a loaded trailer hooked to it.
Just needed a little bit of lift
so we could get the T-bar underneath of it there.
Pieces might fly here.
There you go.
Here, pull it out of the hook. Good.
Slowly but surely, we're getting there.
Okay, it's coming ahead.
Leave the 401 a little cleaner than we found it.
Company's here to get their own trailer,
so we separated the trailer,
and Austin is going to tow the damaged tractor
to their yard.
[Narrator] The job was too much for a single operator...
All right, we're all hooked up, ready to get out of here.
[Narrator] ...but with teamwork,
the crew has the road ready
for traffic to start flowing again.
[Austin] Mike and I work really good together.
We get along great.
It's a relief to have somebody like that,
that you can trust,
and you can go out to these jobs with,
and you don't have to worry.
[radio] Well, the difficult drive continues
on all the major routes.
We've had motorists trapped since very early this morning.
[Narrator] The day is winding down in Toronto...
This guy's been here
probably since about 10:00 this morning,
so he was happy to see us.
[Narrator] ...but there's no end in sight for Chad.
Probably my fourth pair of gloves.
This is my second pair of boots.
It's a long day for everybody.
There's hundreds of people stuck across this highway.
There's still a lot of work ahead of me.
It's just go, go, go,
and I guess I'll get my rest when this is done.
[Kerry] It's been a long day, and now the sun has gone down,
it's dark,
and there are still trucks and cars stuck on the 401.
I've only seen snow like this maybe twice in my life.
[Narrator] On the 401 approaching Keele...
Everywhere you turn,
there's vehicles just stranded in like a foot of snow.
[Narrator] ...John Allen is heading to the latest call
on a very long list.
We got a plow and a tractor-trailer
stuck on the on-ramp from Keele Street.
We're going to hopefully get this ramp opened up.
We gotta get this thing moving.
[Narrator] The plow driver
tried to maneuver around the stuck semi,
and found himself just as stuck.
[John] They are ready to touch each other,
so we want to avoid that.
He ended up sliding down,
and he stopped, you know, like a half inch away
from hitting the side of this trailer.
[Narrator] From the opposite ramp,
John will rig across the ditch
to pull the plow safely away from the truck.
Ugh.
It's kind of a odd case,
where we winch on a ramp from a totally different ramp,
but every situation is different.
[Narrator] John's already been working for over 12 hours,
and the deep snow isn't helping his energy...
[John] This is terrible.
I gotta go through
about three feet of snow across the ditch.
[Narrator] ...so he needs to rely
on operator Bob Lachaine.
[grunting]
All right, yeah, rig that up.
Whoo.
This has been a fun day so far.
Okay, John!
Let's see if this is going to work.
All right.
Everything slides so nice in the snow.
[Narrator] They've moved
the back end of the plow truck away,
but the front is still too close.
[John] Make sure we're not gonna hit.
[Narrator] John's only option
is to work with the plow's driver.
[John] I'm going to stay hooked up to you,
so don't just drive away.
You start to slide, I'll keep it snug. Okay?
Now he has to drive away from me.
I cannot physically, possibly, pull him away from me.
As he comes ahead,
I can pull the ass-end over a bit.
All right, just like this.
Watch your wing. Lots of room?
All right, come ahead.
All right, there. Hold there.
I think we are pretty clear. Let me have a look.
[Bob] Oh, yeah, he should be good.
[John] He can drive out, plow the ramp?
[Bob] He should be able to do it.
[Narrator] From here, it's all up to the driver.
Hopefully he can drive it out of there now.
Just pull ahead nice and easy.
[John] I've got this guy pulled out,
and it's a straight shot kind of downhill for him.
That's nice and straight.
He should be able to just put it in drive and go.
Make it or break it.
He'll go, he'll go, he'll go.
Turn your wheel to the right a bit
and pick your plow up.
Oh, it is up?
I wonder if you put it down a bit,
maybe it'll put a little more weight back here.
Keep going.
That's not working. [sighing]
So close, but so far.
[Narrator] Night has fallen in the GTA,
but with over a foot of snow dumped on the roads,
the cleanup will take hours.
[John] There's trucks stuck on the ramps.
There's people stuck in the cars.
This is just chaotic out here.
People should have just stayed home today.
[Narrator] On the 401 at Keele...
[John] Turn your wheel to the right a bit
and pick your plow up.
[Narrator] ...John Allen is still working
to guide the stuck plow free of the ramp.
[John] That's not working.
[sighing]
So close, but so far.
[reverse alert beeping]
We got so much snow on the ground here
that he's just spinning his wheels.
He can't move.
[beeping]
[Narrator] John needs to find a way
to give the wheels some grip.
[John] I got an idea. Watch this.
Let's throw the chain under his wheel.
[Bob] Okay, watch it doesn't swing out at ya.
[John] Yeah, don't stand behind the wheel.
Help him get a little grip.
I'm going to throw one of my little recovery chains
under the tire,
and hopefully give him
that little lunge forward he needs to get moving.
Go ahead, give 'er.
Oh, that's good.
Yeah, give 'er a shot.
Keep going, keep going, give 'er, give 'er, give 'er!
Go, give 'er, give 'er, give 'er!
Whoo hoo! One out!
[Narrator] It's only half the battle.
They have to move the semi still blocking access.
[John] We got the guys sitting up top of the ramp watching.
They're waiting for us to get this out of here.
We've got to get this thing moving
as soon as possible.
[John] How much load you got in the can?
[driver] 22,000.
-Pounds? Kilos? -Kilos.
[Bob] Well, maybe he can drive it out of there.
You know what?
Give it a try, see what it's gonna do.
If it starts to go,
just head straight, and then follow his tracks.
[Narrator] If the driver can follow in the plow's path,
he might be able to get out.
We're going to get him to try to drive ahead,
see if he can drive down the ramp
from where he's at.
I don't know if it's going to work,
but we'll give it a shot.
[Bob] Don't stop!
Whatever you do, don't stop!
[John] You think he makes it? I hope so.
Give 'er, man! Give 'er, give 'er!
[groaning]
[Bob] You spoke too soon, John!
[John] This is them little jobs
that you know, you pull up and you think,
"Hey, no problem, it's gonna be a quick, easy job..."
No, no, no, no!
[John] ...but there's a lot of snow on that ramp.
[Bob] I'm too old for this crap.
[John] Let's give her a tug.
He got moving a bit, but he got stuck again.
There we go.
I think our best plan of attack here
is let's get him pulled up to the high side of the ramp
so we can use the angle of the ramp
to get the momentum
and start going down the ramp.
I think we back up, do the same on the front.
Let me know when it looks high enough there, Bobby.
[Bob] Try, man.
[John] How's that look? Little more, or what?
[Bob] Yeah, I'd go a little more.
Okay.
Hey! Put your brakes on!
[Bob] See if you can drive her out.
He should be able to just put it in drive and go.
You should move now.
[John] That's not working.
Yaah!
We gotta figure something out.
-[sighing] -Snow screws everything up.
[John] So, yeah, we don't normally
deal with this much snow.
This is, like, crazy.
[Bob] Yeah, eh? Snow screws everything up.
[Narrator] On the Keele Street on-ramp,
the semi has run out of traction,
and John's running out of ideas.
[sighing]
[John] We've pulled him up as far as we can.
He's just spinning his wheels.
[Bob] What do you want to do, John?
[John] Why don't you go for a drive
and back up the ramp?
I think that's the only thing that's going to work.
All right.
[John] Bob's gone for a little lap around.
He's going to back up and give it a tug forward,
and hopefully that does what it needs.
[Narrator] Bob has to back up to position in front
without getting stuck himself.
Just chaos all day.
[Bob] You think using my safety chain
and tugging him should be enough?
[John] I think so.
We're going to hook the chain to the back of Bob,
hook it onto the front of the truck,
and they both drive forward together.
Just tug him,
hopefully I can tug him out, eh?
Between you spinning, him spinning,
it might be enough.
[John] Hopefully more wheels turning
will give a little more momentum
to move the trailer and the truck and everything
down the ramp.
Brakes off.
When he starts pulling, you give gas too.
[John] He's having problems.
It's pretty slick,
and there's a lot of snow on that ramp.
Turn the wheel that way a bit.
Keep it that way, keep it that way.
There we go, there we go. Keep going, keep going.
[Narrator] But the victory...
is short-lived.
[John] This is terrible!
He keeps heading into the low side of the ramp,
so I don't know if it's going to work.
[alerts beeping]
[Bob] I was just trying to pull him down the ramp...
[John] I don't think he's going to make it out.
...but I was just getting stuck myself.
[John] The amount of snow is just making it difficult.
So I'm going to pull ahead now, winch it,
pull ahead, winch.
Hopefully we can get him outta here.
[John] He's going to pull ahead a little bit,
hook a winch to it...
[Bob] All right, let's try this.
[John] ...and pull it a couple feet at a time
to get it back down onto the highway.
Hopefully give him a little tug forward.
Easy, easy, easy.
Keep going.
There we go, there we go.
Yay, he's out. Whoo!
[Bob] It took a little longer than what we wanted it to take,
but we managed, and got the stuff out.
[Narrator] The job is over,
but the night goes on.
[John] One ramp clean.
Now we got another, you know, hundred to go.
[Kerry] It's been a long day.
It's late, it's dark.
Everybody here has gone above and beyond.
It has been a very tiring and busy day for everybody.
The towing and recovery teams, they're making good progress,
but there's still a lot of work to be done.
[Narrator] Next time on Heavy Rescue: 401...
[Sonny] I don't want to get stuck.
[Narrator] ...storm aftermath...
[Sonny] I am stuck.
[Narrator] ...ramps up pressure...
[Sonny] Oh, my god.
[Narrator] ...big test...
[Eric] We really need that lane, and we can't get it.
[Narrator] ...for a big truck...
To hell with closing a lane.
[Narrator] ...and a dangling trailer...
We're running out of room.
[Narrator] ...weighs heavy... on Andrew.
[Bill] Hold on, boy, hold on.
[♪♪♪]