(Hawkesbury, ON) – On Wednesday May 17th 2017, at approximately 1:04 pm, officers from Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Hawkesbury detachment responded to the scene of a serious motor vehicle collision in the westbound lanes of Highway 417, approximately two kilometers west of the Ontario-Quebec border.
The collision occurred when a westbound transport truck collided with a vehicle known as a “Truck Mounted Attenuator (also commonly referred to as Crash Truck)” which was stopped on a portion of the roadway where repair work was being conducted. The drivers of both involved vehicles have been transported to the hospital by paramedics, with serious injuries.
The westbound lanes of Highway 417 near the border are currently closed to traffic while OPP officers with the assistance of an OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigator (TTCI) work to determine the cause of the collision. Detours have been set up re-routing westbound traffic at the provincial border. Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible.
The Ministry of Transportation as well as local fire departments are assisting at the scene, and the Ministry of the Environment has been contacted due to a fuel leak from one of the involved vehicles.
Witnesses to the collision or anyone with information about the matter are asked to contact the Hawkesbury OPP at 613-632-2729 or 1-888-310-1122.