A motorist who got caught in a multi-vehicle crash that left four people with life-threatening injuries is lucky to have survived unharmed.
The collision occurred on Highway 404 near Bloomington Road around 8:15 a.m. It shut down a stretch of the busy highway for approximately six hours, with officers finally reopening it around 2 p.m.
A total of eight people were injured, including six who were taken to hospital, Sgt. Dave Woodford of the Ontario Provincial Police said. Four of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries.
A total of six vehicles, including one motorcycle, were damaged in the collision.
Motorist James Heaver was caught in the crash, with a motorcycle somehow ending up wedged underneath his car.
He survived without a scratch and described the scene to CTV Toronto.
“You’re doing 100 kilometres down the highway and cars are flying at you, around you and over you… it’s pretty messy,” he said.
Officers believe the crash started after a northbound car abruptly swerved and travelled through the median. The car then became airborne and crashed into a vehicle travelling southbound.
Police are now investigating what caused the car to veer into oncoming traffic, but say a second northbound vehicle may have been involved. Three other southbound vehicles were also caught in the crash.
Emergency crews at the site of the crash were seen frantically working to rescue injured passengers who were trapped in some of the cars.
Heaver said that before first responders arrived, drivers rushed to help the victims.
“Everyone was just trying to hold each other’s hands, talking to them, yelling at them … trying to get them to stay coherent,” he said. “If you saw the vehicles from the top…people were crushed in there.”
Heaver takes the highway every day during his commute to work. He said that just before the crash he was thinking about the beautiful weather and the perfect road conditions.
With a report from CTV Toronto’s John Musselman
