A man aged 38 has passed away, and four individuals, including two police officers, were hospitalized following two separate accidents on Highway 401 in Pickering early Sunday morning, as per the Ontario Provincial Police. The initial incident, involving a pickup truck and a passenger vehicle in the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 near Westney Road, was reported around 2:40 a.m. The pickup truck was traveling in the wrong direction, heading west in the eastbound lanes, according to OPP spokesperson Taylor Konkle. The driver of the passenger vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, while the pickup truck driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.
The deceased individual, identified as a Swedish citizen, had their family notified by a representative from the Embassy of Sweden in Ottawa. The OPP announced in a news release later on Sunday that the 41-year-old pickup truck driver was charged with dangerous and impaired operation causing death.
A second crash occurred around 4:25 a.m. in the same area, involving a passenger vehicle and a police cruiser. The passenger vehicle collided with the rear of the cruiser while officers were setting up road closures, according to the OPP. Two officers sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were hospitalized, while the passenger vehicle driver was treated for minor injuries. The Special Investigations Unit stated they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the serious injury of a 52-year-old man during the incident.
The SIU reported that the Durham Regional Police Service assisted in the investigation of the fatal collision. Road barricades were placed to redirect eastbound traffic off the highway, but an eastbound vehicle breached the barricades and struck the police cruiser. The two officers were later discharged from the hospital with minor injuries.
The eastbound lanes of Highway 401 at Whites Road were temporarily shut down for investigation but have since reopened, along with the eastbound collector lanes at Brock Road in Pickering. Authorities are requesting any witnesses or individuals with dashcam footage of the collisions to reach out to the OPP or Crime Stoppers.