Man, 18, dead after crash sends car into icy waters of Keating Channel
Posted January 20, 2024 9:32 am.
Last Updated January 20, 2024 9:31 pm.
An 18-year-old is dead after the car he was driving ended up in the Keating Channel on Saturday morning.
Police say just after 8:30 a.m. a Jeep Grand Cherokee was going westbound on Lake Shore Boulevard when the driver lost control and struck a Ford F150 that was going eastbound just east of Cherry Street.
The force of the crash sent the Jeep into the icy waters of the Channel at the mouth of the Don River.
Emergency response personnel began to extricate the vehicle from the water and just before 12:30 the Jeep was recovered but without a driver inside.
Toronto Fire Capt. Deepak Chagger said when crews first arrived, they spotted one person in the water who they were unable to rescue.
It was -15 C at the time of the crash, feeling more like -23 with the wind chill.
Police say 45 minutes later the 18-year-old suspected driver of the Jeep was pulled from the water, more than four hours after the initial crash. Lifesaving efforts began and the teen was then transported to a nearby hospital in life-threatening condition, where he was later pronounced dead
The 32-year-old driver of the Ford pickup that was involved in the initial crash was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
One firefighter was also assessed on the scene for hypothermia but was not transported to hospital.
Roads in the area which had been closed most of the day for the investigation were reopened just before 6 p.m.
