'It was pretty intense': Driver rear-ended by 14-year-old recounts fiery collision on Hwy. 401
John Tzannis says he is lucky he wasn’t more seriously injured after a 14-year-old driver rear-ended him on Highway 401 in Mississauga, sending his work van spinning into a concrete barrier early Friday morning.
The collision occurred shortly after 6 a.m. in the eastbound collector lanes of the highway near Mississauga Road.
“All I felt was something hit me from behind in the rear drivers’ side and it just spun me around,” Tzannis told CTV News Toronto on Friday. “The spinning, it was pretty intense.”
He added that two of his tires lifted off of the ground and when they landed back down, the airbags in his van deployed. The van ultimately came to a stop when it crashed into a concrete barrier, he said.
“Had that thing flipped, I would have been in some serious trouble,” Tzannis said.
“I was pretty lucky to be honest with you. I could have got clipped by another truck behind me (or) a tractor-trailer, because you know it is pretty fast on that highway.”
Smoke is shown coming from a vehicle on Highway 401 following a collision on July 5. The impact of the collision sent the vehicle the 14-year-old was driving into a nearby ditch, police said. At one point, the vehicle in the ditch caught fire.
“I could see smoke going up in the air and then you heard a big explosion,” Tzannis said.
According to police, the teen and a passenger of the vehicle were apprehended by officers while attempting to flee the area on foot.
“I’m glad he is okay,” Tzannis said of the underage driver. “It was quite the explosion.”
An off-duty paramedic who had just finished his shift stopped to render assistance, Tzannis said.
Police said the teenager, who cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is now facing a number of charges, including careless driving, driving without a licence, and failing to remain at the scene of a crash.
Police say a 14-year-old took their parents' car and left it in flames in a ditch after rear-ending another vehicle on the 401 in Mississauga. (X/@OPP_HSD)
The vehicle the teen was driving belonged to the child’s parents and the 14-year-old took the car so they could “go get food,” police said in a post on social media on Friday morning.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Tzannis said, noting that no one involved was seriously injured.
“It was busy. I don’t know how I didn’t get hit again.”
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Mike Walker
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6955487.1720456604!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Liberal government hopes changes to dental care program will increase uptake
Less than one year after federal Liberals announced a new dental care program to mixed reviews, the government is making changes in hopes to get more providers on board.
How Canada's dream supersonic bomber became a national nightmare
The Avro Arrow meant to be one of the most advanced aircraft of its era, dispatching the threat of Soviet nuclear bombers and making Canada a world leader in military aviation and engineering.
The most devastating sleep disorder of all, according to an expert
Jill was in middle school when she began eating in her sleep. Despite carrying the food back to her bed to devour night after night, she didn’t have a clue about what she had done until the next morning.
Alice Munro's daughter says mom kept silent when stepfather sexually abused her
The youngest daughter of celebrated Canadian author Alice Munro has opened up about sexual abuse by her stepfather and the deep hurt she felt when her mother chose to support her husband instead of her child.
Inmates at large following escape from Sask. correctional centre
Police are searching for two men following an escape at a correctional centre in Yorkton, Sask.
Read the letter Biden sent to House Democrats telling them to support him in the election
U.S. President Joe Biden wants Democrats in Congress to know he has no intention of exiting this year's election, sending them a letter on Monday on his personal letterhead.
Barcelona anti-tourism protesters fire water pistols at visitors
Protesters in Barcelona have sprayed visitors with water as part of a demonstration against mass tourism.
Scorching summer heat hits Canada, remnants of hurricane Beryl on the way
Sweltering summer weather blanketed much of the country Monday, with Environment Canada issuing heat warnings for parts of eight provinces and the Northwest Territories.
3 Columbia University officials lose posts over texts that 'touched on ancient antisemitic tropes'
Columbia University said Monday that it has removed three administrators from their positions and will keep them on leave indefinitely after finding that text messages they exchanged during a campus discussion about Jewish life 'disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.'