A 32-year-old woman is dead after a three-vehicle crash on Highway 401 early Saturday morning.
It happened in the eastbound express lanes of the highway near Islington Avenue at around 1:15 a.m.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt tells CP24 that traffic was slowing down in the area due to construction when a vehicle with three occupants, including the 32-year-old woman, set off a chain-reaction collision.
“One vehicle came to almost a complete stop, another vehicle was moving very slowly and the the third vehicle with three occupants slammed into the back of that slowing or stopped traffic,” Schmidt said. “The 32 year-old rear seat passenger was taken to hospital with critical injuries but was pronounced dead en route to hospital. The male passenger in the rear seat as well as the male driver was taken to hospital but they only suffered minor injuries.”
There were initial reports from the scene suggesting that the victim was travelling in a ride-sharing vehicle, however that detail has not been confirmed by police.
Schmidt said that the female victim was from the Toronto area and was in the back seat of the vehicle with her husband. He said that both parties had their seatbelts on at the time.
“At this point no charges have been laid but we are still investigating. We will be speaking with the drivers this morning,” he said.
The highway was closed overnight for an investigation but reopened at 5:10 a.m., according to the OPP.
