A man, 62, and a woman, 35, have died in a major crash on Highway 401 in Mississauga on Saturday, police and paramedics say.
Three other people were injured in the crash. A man, 38, suffered serious injuries, while two other people suffered minor to moderate injuries.
The crash happened in the highway’s eastbound lanes east of Winston Churchill Boulevard. Emergency crews were called to the area at 8:52 a.m.
Both eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 401 continue to be closed in the area. All traffic is being diverted at that exit.
Const. Kevin Westhead, spokesperson for the OPP’s Highway Safety Division, said the man and woman died at the scene. The seriously injured man was taken to a trauma centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Next of kin is being notified.
Earlier, OPP said three people died in the crash, but at 11:30 a.m., that number was revised down to two.
Jay Szymanski, superintendent for Peel paramedics, said a fourth person was taken to hospital with “moderate” injuries. A fifth person was treated at the scene for minor injuries and released.
According to a preliminary investigation by the OPP, the incident began when two westbound vehicles, a Lexus SUV and a Ford F150 truck, collided and the truck crashed through the centre barrier, hitting a third vehicle, and a Dodge Caravan minivan, in the eastbound lanes.
The man and woman who died and the man who was seriously injured were all in the truck.
Police don’t know yet what caused the initial collision. Two other vehicles struck debris on the highway.
Initially, police said there was a commercial tractor trailer involved, but later said that information was incorrect.
Update: at scene investigation completed, vehicle removal and clean up under way. MTO to assess damage and advise of opening time frame.^kw
—@OPP_HSD
Debris was strewn over a wide area following the crash.
Officers from the OPP’s collision reconstruction team have finished the initial investigation. The vehicles are being removed and cleanup is underway.
Westhead said the Ontario Ministry of Transportation will assess the damage to the centre barrier and indicate whether two lanes will continue to remain closed until the centre barrier can be repaired.
Motorists are being told to expect major delays. The closure could last until Sunday morning, police said.
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