A high-speed crash was caught on the dashcam of a vehicle pulled over on Highway 401 in Mississauga on Tuesday morning.
Michael Bonello was on his way to work when he spotted two transport trucks that had collided on the busy highway, between Dixie Road and Renforth Drive. The trucks crashed at approximately 6 a.m., leaving fuel and debris spilled across the highway's express lanes.
The St. John Ambulance volunteer pulled over and parked his car next to the median in the left, westbound lane.
"I stopped because I know I can help, and a lot of the times, there's no one there yet to help someone who might be hurt," he told CTV Toronto on Wednesday.
Bonello's vehicle had a camera installed on the dashboard, which was running while he was parked at the scene.
Approximately 15 minutes after he stopped, Bonello's vehicle was struck by another car heading west at full speed. It was captured on Bonello's dashcam.
"Just after I finished treating (one of the drivers) and handed him over to the paramedics, I heard screeching," he said.
The 20-second video, which Bonello sent to CTV Toronto, shows a speeding car crashing into the front, passenger side of Bonello's parked car.
The crash sent debris shooting into the air, and the car spun around on the highway before coming to a stop in the left lane.
Bonello said no one was seriously injured in either of the collisions – something the Ontario Provincial Police say is surprising.
"You see the impact, you see the debris flying – it could have been so much worst," OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said, adding it's important for drivers to stay focused on the road.
"It's so important that if you are in a vehicle, you need to focus on what you are doing," he said. "Don't be distracted by things that are going on around you."
Bonello's car sustained approximately $10,000 in damages. Despite the price tag, however, Bonello said he would stop again to help out a driver involved in a collision.
"If I saw another crash, I would definitely stop and help out because I know that a vehicle can be replaced versus someone who needs help."
The 22-year-old Whitby driver who hit Bonello's car has been charged with careless driving.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Zuraidah Alman
