'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
Woman dies at Rolling Stones concert in Vancouver
A woman attending the Rolling Stones concert at BC Place died Friday night, police confirmed.
Popular weight-loss and diabetes medications linked to lower risk of some cancers, study finds
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy may help lower the risk of certain cancers, a new study suggests.
French leftists win most seats in elections, pollsters say. Lack of majority to create turmoil
A coalition on the left that came together unexpectedly ahead of France's snap elections won the most parliamentary seats in the vote, according to polling projections Sunday. The surprise projections put President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance in second and the far right in third.
'Meltdown': A week later, WestJet continues to feel the fallout from mechanics strike
One week after it ended, WestJet continues to feel the effects of a mechanics strike that nearly shut down the airline's network for 29 hours.
Suspects arrested after mother and child carjacked in GTA: police
Three suspects who allegedly carjacked a woman and her child in a Mississauga parking lot last week have been arrested.
5-year-old boy killed in Grande Prairie, Alta. crash: RCMP
A five-year-old boy from Clairmont, Alta., was killed in a five-vehicle crash in Grande Prairie, Alta., on Saturday afternoon.
Up to 7 teens with pellet guns shot at people at Toronto park: police
Multiple people have been shot by a group of teenagers with pellet guns at Woodbine Park, Toronto police say.
Harrow family of four died from gunshot wounds in case of intimate partner violence, Ontario police say
Investigators have determined that the deaths of four family members in Harrow in June were the result of intimate partner violence, with three dying from gunshot wounds and one from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Beryl bears down on Texas, where it's expected to hit Monday and regain hurricane strength
The outer bands of Beryl brought rain and intensifying winds to Texas on Sunday as coastal residents boarded up windows, left beach towns under evacuation orders and braced for the tropical storm that forecasters expected to strengthen back into a hurricane before landfall.