Steep inclines, icy terrain, 120-metre drop-offs — put simply, the odds are against the brave truckers travelling B.C.’s 100 km-long Coquihalla Highway.
Indeed, coursing as it does through the simply gorgeous Cascade Mountains, the “Coq” sees its fair share of wrecks — crashes occur as often as every 12 hours in stormy conditions — and it’s up to the highly sophisticated Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue to go in and save lives.
Capturing all the heroic and harrowing details are the folks behind Highway Thru Hell — which premieres Tuesday, September 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT — who invite viewers to follow along and discover, across eight intense episodes, both the sheer power of Mother Nature and the undying hope and determination of those souls who must face it day in and out.
As revealed in a recent press release, here’s a rundown of the extreme life-or-death situations to come with just the first two episodes of HTH:
‘Death on the Coq’ — airs Tuesday, September 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
“The winter season is already off to a hellish start when a major blizzard slams the Coquihalla Highway. Jamie Davis heavy Rescue’s ‘A’ team, Adam Gazzola and Kevin Ritchie, spends a busy morning clearing spun-out semis off the road when word comes that a multi vehicle pile-up has closed down both northbound lanes. While Gazzola scrambles to get the highway open, Davis tries to free a semi from a steep, icy off-ramp. By sundown the crew is exhausted, but the Coq isn’t done with them yet. At 3 a.m., a five-semi wreck at the top of the mountain sends Davis and his 16-year-old son Brandon fighting their way through the traffic back-up. This is Brandon’s first night wreck – and the hard reality of heavy rescue towing is driven home when he discovers a driver under one of the trucks, dead.”
‘Where’s My Rotator?’ – airs Tuesday, September 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
“A double-trailer load of lumber had flipped and spilled across a half-kilometre of highway. Even with three heavy rescue trucks, Davis’ crew doesn’t have enough equipment to do the job right. Gazolla is angry about the lack of equipment and the poor condition of his truck. Last year, Davis ordered a state-of-the-art heavy rescue truck called a Rotator. But the busy winter season is here and the custom-built wrecker still hasn’t been delivered. Just days before Christmas, Davis heads to the factory in Tennessee to bring it home himself. While he’s gone, Gazolla has his hands full with the ‘B’ team when a semi filled with expensive wine goes off a cliff.”
Visit Discovery’s official page for more programming info.
I am Mitch Cheeks’ Mom..and have driven over the Coq for many years myself and always enjoyed the beautiful scenery, …. but knowing and experiencing the weather extremes at times, I have definitely admired the rescue/towing crews and the tough jobs that they have faced..looking forward to viewing the series… cheers