Three family members among 4 killed in crash near Peterborough

Three members of the same family are among four killed in a head-on crash east of Peterborough on Tuesday night.

Ontario Provincial Police say an SUV and pickup truck crashed Tuesday night at around 5:15 p.m. on Highway 7 near Drummond Line.

Police identified the driver of the pickup as 42-year-old Jason Schmidt of Hastings, Ont., while the deceased occupants of the SUV have been identified as 18-year-old Riddick Hart, 46-year-old Jonathan MacDonnell, and 52-year-old Stephanie Hart, all of Otonabee-South Monaghan Township.

A female passenger in the SUV – the only person to survive the crash – was taken to a trauma centre in Toronto with life-threatening injuries.

A GoFundMe page has been started to help with hospital costs for the injured girl, who was identified as Rowghan.

“We are absolutely devastated by the sudden and tragic deaths of Stefphanie, Jon, Riddick on the evening of Nov. 22nd,” reads the post. “We have set up this GoFundMe in hopes of raising enough money for expenses and any care Rowghan may need.”

In an update posted on Wednesday, Tanya Hart says Rowghan has undergone two surgeries after suffering “life altering injuries.”

The campaign has raised more than $24,000 after exceeding its initial goal of $10,000.

Deb Callahan, the principal at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School in Peterborough, Ont., said in a letter Wednesday that the school community was saddened by the death of a student and his parents, one of whom was a school employee.

“We have learned that an entire family… has been deeply impacted by this terrible accident,” she said.

“Our school community is shocked and grieving as we struggle to process this difficult news, and we understand that this will have an immediate and significant impact on our students, staff and families,” Callahan said.

Rita Russo, the director of education at the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, said those impacted in the community are encouraged to seek support.

“We have sought the support of the mental health clinicians at our school board, for both students and staff at TAS (Thomas A Stewart Secondary School) and other impacted schools,” she said in a separate letter to families.

“If you feel your child is in need of professional support, please contact your school,” she said.

Russo said the flags at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School and other schools in the area had been lowered to half-mast as the community mourns the tragedy.

“We offer our deepest condolences to family, friends and the entire TAS community,” she said. “Our thoughts are also focused on the family member, our student, currently being treated in hospital, as we all hope for a positive outcome.”

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report

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