Police seek vehicle in fuel tanker crash that shuttered QEW for most of the day

The driver of a vehicle involved in a major collision with a tanker truck on the QEW west of St. Catharines Friday morning is being sought by police after the crash caused a section of the highway to close for most of the day.

The Niagara-bound QEW was reopened just before 4 p.m. following the collision which saw a fuel truck leak thousands of litres of hazardous cargo into a ditch.

The highway was completely closed in both directions for more than two hours, but the Toronto-bound lanes reopened at around 10:20 a.m.

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Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said three vehicles were involved in the 8 a.m. collision. The driver of a black Mercedes-Benz sedan was reportedly driving aggressively and cut off a passenger vehicle, which ended up going into a tractor-trailer loaded with fuel and diesel. 

"Those two vehicles got tangled up and ended up going into the ditch. The tanker, obviously loaded with dangerous goods, is leaking into the ditch right now," Schmidt said.

Police said the driver of the Mercedes fled the scene.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was extricated from his vehicle by first responders and was taken to hospital. The extent of his injuries was not immediately clear, but he is expected to survive, OPP said.

The driver of the passenger van managed to get out of his vehicle on his own. He was "very shaken up" but not seriously injured, Schmidt said.

HIGHWAY WILL BE CLOSED AGAIN SATURDAY FOR CLEANUP

Schmidt said the highway will be fully closed again in the area on Saturday morning as crews clean up the messy spill of dangerous material.

“Because of the hazards of potential spark and static electricity, we can’t have traffic within 100 metres and unfortunately it’s right next to the highway,” Schmidt said.

Firefighters are pictured working at the scene of a collision involving a fuel truck on the QEW near St. Catharines Friday, January 12, 2024. (Andrew Collins)

The Saturday morning closure will be in effect between Ontario Street in Beamsville, Ont. and Victoria Avenue in Vineland, Ont. from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

During that time, crews will drill holes into the fuel container and remove the rest of its contents with a vaccum.

Schmidt said crews were originally going to complete that work Friday evening and keep the highway closed, but decided to move it to the weekend so motorists can get home before the incoming snowfall.

THOUSANDS OF LITRES OF FUEL SPILL

Images from the scene showed evidence of a violent collision, with wheels from the tractor-trailer ripped off and resting in a separate area from the trailer, which was also resting in a different spot from the cab.

Schmidt said first responders were dealing with a "dramatic scene" when they arrived as well as "an extreme explosive hazard" in the area, which has now been evacuated.

"The fire department is on scene," Schmidt said. "They have evacuated local residents in the area and I expect this will continue for the morning for several hours."

Schmidt said he estimates some 20,000 litres of gasoline and diesel spilled in total, in addition to the water and foam used to prevent ignition of the fuel. An additional 20,000 litres is believed to remain inside the tanker truck.

He said Minsitry of Environment officials are on scene and assessing the situation, adding that crews are currently digging ditches and dikes to prevent flow from the ditch into Lake Ontario, which is less than kilometre away from the crash site.

Firefighters are pictured working at the scene of a collision involving a fuel truck on the QEW near St. Catharines Friday, January 12, 2024. (Andrew Collins)