The Barricade Was There for a Reason, and Someone Missed It

There is an irony that journalists know well but rarely speak aloud: the act of documenting danger can place the documenter squarely within it. On Thursday afternoon, along a rural road east of Shakespeare, Ontario, that irony became something more painful.

Dave Pettitt, a 65-year-old cameraman with CKCO/CTV Kitchener, was filming the scene of a three-vehicle crash on Line 34 when a driver went through a road-closed barricade and struck him . Ontario Provincial Police had set up the barricades while they investigated the earlier collision. Pettitt was taken to a hospital in Stratford with serious, life-threatening injuries. By Friday, his family told CTV News his condition had stabilized .

The details of the collision remain under investigation. OPP have not said whether charges will be laid against the driver who went through the barricade . What is known is that the scene was one of those ordinary, terrible moments that first responders and journalists navigate with practiced care—a crash investigation, a closed road, a crew documenting what had happened.

Pettitt is a familiar presence in Waterloo Region. For years, he has been the camera behind countless stories, the quiet professional whose work brings the news to screens across the region. His colleagues at CTV Kitchener described him simply as “Dave,” and in a statement, the entire newsroom said it was keeping him and his family in their thoughts .

The incident carries a broader resonance. Road closures exist for a reason—to protect those working at a scene, whether police, paramedics, tow truck operators, or journalists. When a driver ignores a barricade, that protection disappears. OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk, speaking after a separate but similar incident at the other end of the scene, put it plainly: “Drivers need to slow down and pay attention so these unnecessary and preventable collisions are avoided” .

Police are asking anyone who witnessed either collision, or who has dash cam or security footage, to contact investigators. For now, a cameraman who has spent his career telling other people’s stories is at the center of one. His condition has stabilized. The investigation continues.

AI Image Disclaimer: The accompanying visual is AI-generated and does not depict the actual individuals or scene involved.

Sources: CP24, CTV News Kitchener, The Record, CBC News, Waterloo Chinese