At Least 13 Dead In Long Weekend Accidents

It was a tragic weekend on roads across southeastern Ontario, and as the traffic volume rose Monday night for the rush back into the Greater Toronto Area, at least 13 people were dead in its wake.

“This ranks right up there with one of the worst Labour Day long weekends we’ve had,” said Ontario Provincial Police Chief Supt. Bill Grodzinski.

The carnage began early Friday when a car was hit by a transport truck on the 401 killing a 25-year-old mother and continued Saturday when a motorcycle crash in Milton claimed the life of a 23-year-old. Police say it’s indicative of growing carelessness on the part of drivers.

“The attitude has to change,” OPP Chief Julian Fantino said Monday.

“If we have to do that one erratic, dangerous, impaired motorist at a time and if that’s what it takes then that’s what we’re going to do.”

Highway police issued thousands of tickets over the long weekend, while keeping a close eye out for speeders, impaired drivers and people not wearing their seatbelt.

“This has just been a very disappointing weekend for us,” said OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley.

“Thousands of charges laid, and I just hate to think of what would happen if we weren’t out there.”

And officials are warning that the dangers on the roads don’t stop when the long weekend is officially over. In fact, with hundreds of thousands of students heading back to school Tuesday morning, traffic volumes and the potential for accidents are more likely to rise than decline.

Other accidents that occured over the weekend included a driver running over a man lying on Highway 11 in the Fort Francis area, two people killed and several others injured on Highway 402 near London when a vehicle overturned and ended up in the median, one person died when a vehicle towing a camper trailer veered off the eastbound Queen Elizabeth Way at Lake Street in St. Catharines and hit a tree, two people died in a single car crash in Arnprior, two people in one car were killed in a crash near Smiths Falls and one person died and five people were injured in a three-vehicle collision in Grey County.

Police want you to help them keep our roads safe. If you see any dangerous or suspicious activity out there, dial *OPP on your cell phone or call 911.

As of August 1, 2007 the OPP has laid 192,046 speeding charges, up from 154,744 in the same period in 2006. Twenty-five people have been charged with street racing.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today