1 dead, 8 in hospital after multi-vehicle collision in Oshawa

One person is dead, and eight people are in hospital following a multi-vehicle collision in Oshawa Saturday afternoon.

Emergency crews were called to the intersection of Ritson Road South and Bloor Street East, south of Highway 401, at 12:15 p.m. for a crash involving at least nine vehicles.

Acting Duty Insp. Craig McCabe said officers arrived to locate multiple people injured and two vehicles on fire. A photo provided by a witness shows a thick plume of smoke coming from the crash site.

A plume of smoke billowing out of two vehicles engulfed in flames following a collision in Oshawa on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. (Submitted/Tyler Thompson)

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while eight people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, McCabe said.

He added that among the injured were people ordering at a food truck parked northeast of the intersection. Images from the scene show the truck suffered rear-end damage as a result of the collision.

“There were people in the parking lot. I believe they were struck by debris,” McCabe said.

The owner told CTV News Toronto that two employees were working when a car flew through the air and struck the food truck. He said the workers were shaken up but were okay.

A food truck damaged following a collision in Oshawa on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. (CTV News Toronto)

The cause of the collision is unknown, but McCabe said the vehicles involved were travelling south on Ritson Road.

“Our collision investigation unit is currently on scene attempting to determine the sequence of events that have led up to this collision,” McCabe said.

The intersection was riddled with debris and damaged cars, including the burnt wreckage of two vehicles. It is closed for the investigation.

Two vehicles were engulfed in flames following a collision in Oshawa on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. (CTV News Toronto)

Tyler Thompson, who lives in the area, said he felt the impact of the collision.

“It felt like thunder or lighting had struck my house like you could feel the rumble,” Thompson told CTV News Toronto.

“I came downstairs expecting to hear that an 18-wheeler had flipped over and went through the 401 wall or something. That’s how tremendous the sound and impact to us.”

With files from CTV News Toronto's John Musselman