Driving A Truck Is Like Pulling Teeth

Trucker attempts to remove tooth while driving
By DON PEAT/QMI Agency

TORONTO - A Kitchener truck driver is facing a careless driving charge but on the bright side, his tooth doesn't hurt anymore.

Lambton County OPP say they stopped a big rig driver doing some driving dentistry along Hwy. 402 on Wednesday.

Const. John Reurink told QMI Agency Saturday it's the first time he's ever heard of a driver being pulled over performing dental surgery.

"I've never heard of this sort of thing occurring before," Reurink said, adding he has stopped drivers doing their make-up, reading a map or talking on a cellphone. "Somebody doing an amateur tooth pulling? That's a first."

Reurink said it all started June 30 when an officer was on Hwy. 402 in Warwick Township, near Sarnia, and a passing driver pointed him to a tractor trailer being driven "all over the road."

The officer found the eastbound rig and pulled it over.

Cops determined the 58-year-old driver was driving so poorly because he was trying to pull out a tooth while he was driving.

"The driver was very forthright with the officer," Reurink said.

The amateur dentist of a driver had rigged a string around his hurting tooth and then tied the other end to the roof of the cab, police said.

"One good bump and the tooth should come out," police explained.

Turns out the "one good bump" likely did come along at some point.

"The evidence of his efforts were nearby," Reurink said.

Truckers sure do have it rough don't they. They have to traverse the country in a short period of time and have noone to keep them company on a trip that requires constant attention and focus. Plus they don't have time to pull over for every minor problem - like a bad tooth. So this guy tries to make the best of his situation and pull his tooth while driving. He had to get it done at some point. And before you bring it up, this is nothing like the lady who wrecked in Florida while trying to shave her cootch. She could have done that anytime. This guy was on a schedule and I appreciate his valliant attempt at multi-tasking.