Mother, father and son killed in head-on crash near Peterborough, Ont. identified
A mother, father and son were among the four fatalities in Tuesday's head-on crash just east Peterborough, Ont, which also sent their daughter to hospital in critical condition.
Family told CTV News Toronto three of the people killed in the crash were Stephanie Hart, Jonathan Macdonnell and their 18-year-old son Riddick Hart. According to relatives, the family goes by and is known in the community as the MacHarts.
Their 14-year-old daughter Rowghan was seriously injured in the crash and was airlifted to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in critical condition, family says.
According to Ontario Provincial Police, the crash happened on Highway 7 near Drummond Line around 5:15 p.m. when an SUV and pick-up truck collided. Police later identified the fourth victim as 42-year-old Jason Schmidt, who was the driver of the pick-up truck.
A letter sent to parents by Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Principal Debbie Callahan on Wednesday said it is "with profound sadness" they announce death of a student and staff member from the MacHart family.
"You may have heard about a serious vehicle collision just east of Peterborough," Callahan wrote in the letter. "We have learned that an entire family, the MacHart (Hart & MacDonnell) family, has been deeply impacted by this terrible accident, including the death of a student at our school and both parents, one of whom is also a Thomas A Stewart staff member. Another family member was involved, also a student at our school, and they were airlifted to hospital."
CTV News Toronto has learned Stefphanie MacHart was an educational assistant at the school.
“Our school community is shocked and grieving as we struggle to process this difficult news, and we understand that this will have an immediate and significant impact on our students, staff and families,” Callahan said in the letter.
Callahan said counsellors will remain at the school for students "as long as needed."
"It is with the heaviest heart that we are writing this," Tanya Hart, whose husband is Stefphanie's first cousin, wrote on a GoFundMe Page for the family. "We are absolutely devastated by the sudden and tragic deaths of Stefphanie, Jon, and Riddick on the evening of Nov. 22."
Hart told CTV News Toronto money raised on the GoFundMe page would be used to support Rowghan through her recovery.
Highway 7 was closed for several hours on Tuesday night as police documented and reconstructed the crash scene.
Police have not released any further details about the victims or said what caused the crash.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.