Highway 401 Reopened After Serious Tractor-Trailer Collision
Posted August 28, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Highway 401 is open again in both directions following a serious crash that made the Monday commute a frustrating one for drivers.
All westbound lanes and the left-most eastbound lane had to be closed following the accident, which involved two tractor-trailers.
It happened at about 3:30am when, according to Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Cam Woolley, one big rig was experiencing engine trouble near Guelph Line.
The driver pulled over to the side of the road, but apparently failed to set the parking brake. The vehicle was on an incline and rolled backward and into the middle of the roadway.
That’s when a second rig smashed into it in the pitch darkness, sending the contents of both spilling out onto the roadway. Both trucks were hauling garbage.
Three people were taken to Milton District Hospital for treatment. Fortunately their injuries weren’t considered serious.
OPP investigators and clean-up crews worked quickly to get the roads reopened as quickly as possible. By about 8:30am both lanes had been reopened and traffic was moving quickly through the area again.
It was a welcome change for drivers following the five-hour closure, which resulted in jam-ups not just along the 401 but on most alternate routes.
“I am going to London, and got to get to work, but it’s a headache, you know? It’s a headache. Can’t move anywhere,” said aerospace engineer Igor Mielnik at the height of the backup. Traffic headed eastbound was backed up for about eight kilometres at one point.
“I never been in that kind of mess until now, and well, we have to go slowly until we get there, right?,” sighed Mary Canjar.
Security guard Richard Guilbeault had another idea.
“You know what I would actually like to see, like a separate highway for trucks,” he said. “That would be the best. I know it’s kind of improbable to do, but you know, I think that would solve a lot of the problems.”
To see an image of the crash sent in by a CityNews viewer, click on the photo gallery below.
