Canadian Carver staff respond to fiery head-on crash

OPP NEWS RELEASE

************************* Four injured in head-on crash

PANCAKE BAY, ON - Four people were transported to hospital by ambulance after a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 17 late Friday afternoon.

At about 5:30 p.m., a vehicle was stopped in the southbound lane of Highway 17 waiting to turn left into the Canadian Carver and Agawa Indian Crafts.

A southbound SUV that was pulling a boat on a trailer could not get stopped in time and struck the back of other traffic that was stopped waiting for the vehicle to turn.

The impact caused the SUV (with the boat trailer) to cross into the northbound lane where it stuck a northbound Jeep head-on.

The boat came dislodged from the trailer and flew across the highway and into the northbound ditch.

The SUV pulling the boat veered off the Jeep and crashed into the fencing in front of the Agawa Indian Crafts complex.

As the SUV came to rest in the entrance of the Agawa Indian Crafts, the vehicle caught fire.

Employees of the Canadian Carver and Agawa Indian Crafts immediately responded to the assistance of the passengers with first aid kits and fire extinguishers.

The management of the Canadian Carver/ Agawa Indian Crafts also has a fire suppression trailer with several hundred gallons of water.

Employees of the complex brought out the suppression trailer to the scene until the Batchawana Fire and Rescue Department arrived.

The actions of the employees of Canadian Carver and Agawa Indian Crafts proved instrumental in extinguishing the vehicle fire.

Highway 17 in Pancake Bay was closed for about one hour until the wreckage could be cleared from the roadway.

Four people were taken to Sault Area Hospital with wide-ranging injuries.

Fifty-two year old Robert Dennis Jones of Portage, Michigan has been charged with following too close contrary to the Highway Traffic Act.

Police would like to thank the staff and management of Canadian Carver and Agawa Indian Crafts for the assistance they rendered to the injured people, fire suppression until the Batchawana Fire and Rescue arrived and assisting in cleaning glass and debris off the highway.

This investigation is still ongoing and further charges may be pending.

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