Fatigue blamed in trucker's death near Gatineau, Que.

Quebec's health and safety commission says driver fatigue is to blame for the death of a dump truck driver who forgot to lower the truck's bucket and struck an overpass north of Ottawa in February.

Transport Dubé, the company who employed 41-year-old Rock Laurin, has been ordered to pay a fine between $16,124 and $64,495, said the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST).

The CSST did not specify the exact amount of the fine levied against the company.

The crash happened Feb. 1 on Highway 5 in Chelsea, Que., north of Gatineau, Que., at the Hautes Plaines exit.

The bucket of the dump truck was in the fully raised position as Laurin drove along the highway. Laurin was ejected from the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene after the truck's bucket slammed into an overpass.

The CSST also said Thursday that Laurin worked too many hours without taking a break, and that he was talking on the phone when he forgot to lower the dump truck's bucket.