Ontario Premier Doug Ford unharmed after Highway 401 collision, 18-year-old driver charged
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was uninjured after an OPP vehicle he was travelling in was involved in a collision on Highway 401 Wednesday afternoon.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt confirmed to CTV News Toronto that the collision in question occurred at around 12:40 p.m. in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 at Brock Road in Pickering.
Police said the premier and the other occupants in the vehicle operated by the OPP Protective Services Section were not injured.
Meanwhile, two people in the other vehicle were transported to the hospital with minor injuries and were later released.
In an update, police said that an 18-year-old from Oshawa was charged with dangerous driving as a result of the crash. He is scheduled to appear in an Oshawa court in February.
Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park, Ford said that the vehicle he was travelling in was “sideswiped” after leaving the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, where he had held a press conference to pitch a new energy partnership with the U.S.
“Oh yeah, we were leaving OPG, driving down the road on the highway, and the next thing you know, out of nowhere, the car got sideswiped, and that is all I can say,” he said.
“But we were just driving straight, and next thing we know, we got hammered, just hammered. I am OK, this head is like limestone. It is as hard as a rock.”
Ford went on to say the driver that struck the vehicle he was travelling in “ended up on the other side of the highway.”
“It was bad. I just pray he was OK,” he said.
The spokesperson said that the driver of the other vehicle is believed to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE UPDATES Uncontained L.A. wildfires are still burning. Here's the latest as firefighters battle the flames
A series of wildfires are tearing through densely populated parts of the Los Angeles, Calif. area. Five people have been reported dead. About 130,000 have been asked to evacuate. Nearly 2,000 homes and other buildings have been destroyed after the fires charred about 108 square kilometres.
'True when I said it, true today': former Canadian PM Harper pushes back against Trump on social media
Former prime minister Stephen Harper doesn’t find U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s jibes about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state very amusing.
NEW Tipping guide to Canada: When, where and how much to tip for restaurants, taxis and more
CTVNews.ca has created an entirely unofficial guide to tipping in Canada to help visitors, newcomers and curious Canadians navigate the shifting social norms of when, where and how much to tip.
Canada could impose tariffs on U.S. steel, orange juice in response to Trump threat
Canadian officials are narrowing a list of American products to target in the event the federal government must respond to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, CTV News has confirmed.
Can the U.S. really make Canada the 51st state?
Talk of Canada becoming the 51st American state has raised an existential question on this side of the border: Could it be done? Could the maple leaf make way to the stars and stripes? According to several experts, it may be possible, but not painless.
U.S. says it has no plans to increase military presence in Greenland
The United States has no current plans to increase its military presence in Greenland, the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen said on Thursday, after President-elect Donald Trump expressed renewed interest in acquiring the vast Arctic island.
Prince William praises his wife Kate as he wishes her a happy birthday
Prince William praised the strength of the Princess of Wales after a turbulent year, offering a 43rd birthday wish on social media on Thursday that described her as an incredible wife and mother.
Missing hiker thanks rescuers after surviving 13 days on two granola bars in Australian national park
A 23-year-old hiker who survived 13 days lost in the Australian wilderness after randomly finding two granola bars has thanked his rescuers for enduring "tough conditions" to find him.
How cold does it need to get before iguanas start falling out of trees in Florida?
It's a South Florida phenomenon that draws amusement from across the country — when temperatures drop below a certain level, cold-stunned iguanas start falling out of trees.