Tractor-trailer wreckage cleared after seven hours

Crews have cleared the wreckage of a tractor-trailer that dangled from an overpass on Highway 401 for nearly seven hours on Saturday.

Earlier, the accident caused lane closures on the busy highway, snarling traffic in the Ajax-Pickering area.

The accident occurred when an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer travelling eastbound collided with two other vehicles around 12:30 pm, said police. The truck driver lost control of the vehicle and hit the guardrail.

After hitting the guardrail, the tractor-trailer caught fire and dangled over an overpass that runs above Church Street.

The driver escaped from the truck and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

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  The burned wreckage of a transport truck hanging over the Highway 401 bridge at Church Street in Ajax, Ont., Saturday, May 26, 2012. (Edward Yu / MyNews.CTV.ca)

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  This photo shows the remains of a tractor trailer following a crash on Highway 401 near Ajax, Ont. on Saturday, May 26, 2012.

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  MyNews contributor Paul Mitchell sent in this photo of the burned wreckage of a transport truck travelling eastbound, hanging over the Highway 401 bridge at Church Street in Ajax, Ont.