Police say eastbound lanes on a stretch of Highway 401 between Prescott and Highway 416 in eastern Ontario have reopened, following Friday’s pileup involving 24 vehicles.
OPP initially said the stretch of road was to re-open around 10 a.m.
Several people were injured and two people were sent to hospital and OPP say they are in stable condition.
Police are continuing to investigate what triggered the collisions.
The series of crashes left cars and debris scattered across the highway’s eastbound lanes.
Driver Mike Dandermeer, whose pick-up truck was one of the vehicles involved in the pileup, tried to free another driver who was trapped in his transport truck.
“I ran back to my truck and grabbed a hammer and some of the guys told him to put his jacket in front of the window and then we busted the window,” he said. “He was awake, so that was good.”
That driver was later freed by emergency crews.
Weather may have played a factor in the pileup. Drivers described seeing what appeared to be a sudden blizzard on the highway, which in turn caused whiteout conditions and poor visibility. Within seconds, several vehicles lost control.
About a dozen people spent the evening at a local high school, waiting to retrieve their vehicles that were abandoned on the highway.
