Police statement on head-on transport crash

OPP NEWS RELEASE

************************* Transport truck collision closes Highway 17

BATCHAWANA - Sault Ste. Marie OPP were forced to close Highway 17 for several hours last night as a result of a motor vehicle collision involving five transport trucks.

Shortly before 5 p.m., it was reported that there had been a head-on collision between two transports.

When officers arrived at the scene, it was learned that in addition to the head-on, there were three other transports involved.

Weather conditions at the scene were extremely bad.

Winds coming off the lake were causing heavy white-out conditions, making it difficult for police, fire personnel, first response personnel and ambulance personnel.

One of those injured was a second driver in the Maritime Ontario Inc. transport.

He had been resting in the bunk when the collision occurred.

Two were kept overnight for observation and two were released after being checked out.

Officers worked well into the night to figure out what had occurred.

Weather played the prominent role in this accident that left screen mesh, a small diesel spill and vehicle parts lying on the highway.

What officers have been able to establish at this point is that two transports, one southbound (Maritime Ontario Inc.) driven by Chris Thomson, of North Georgetown, Ontario and the other northbound (Polar Creek Express), driven by Jeffery Showers of Brantford, Ontario, drove into the blinding white out and met head-on.

Another transport that had been travelling with the Polar Creek Express transport, driven by Frank Maurizio of Brantford, was well back when he entered the white-out and could not see his friend’s trailer until the last minute.

Maurizio managed to slide to the left of the Polar Creek Express trailer, coming to rest against a guardrail.

A flatbed, driven by Alain Henri of Val Caron, Ontario was carrying a load of screen mesh, also northbound, drove into the white-out and could only see the Polar Creek Express trailer when he was approximately 10 feet from it.

Despite braking, Henri hit the rear of the Polar Creek Express trailer.

A fifth transport, driven by Bradley Tokawa of Maple, Ontario, also northbound, hit the white-out and was only able to see the rear of the flatbed at the last minute.

Tokawa locked his brakes up and managed to swerve to the right to where the screen mesh was lying on the road.

Once the OPP had completed their investigation of the scene, Town and Country Towing attended with several of their trucks to remove all the tractors and the trailers.

Lajoie Bros. attended to clean up the diesel and other debris from the highway.

Batchawana Fire Deptartment provided assistance to the OPP in blocking the highway.

They were called back to the scene when a small fire broke out in the engine of one of the transports.

The investigation is ongoing.

All drivers need to be cognizant of weather conditions when they are travelling.

It is very common for heavy and blinding white squalls to occur during the winter and particularly where there is a large body of water.

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