2 men critically injured in Pickering crash couldn’t phone for help, were rescued hours later
Posted March 26, 2024 9:31 am.
Last Updated March 27, 2024 1:47 pm.
Two men are fighting for their lives in a Toronto hospital after their vehicle went off the roadway and crashed into a wooded area in Pickering on Monday night.
Emergency crews responded to the scene on Lake Ridge Road north of Myrtle Road West, north of Highway 407, around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday for a single-vehicle crash.
Police say a 25-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were in the car.
The driver suffered critical injuries. He was airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. Firefighters freed the passenger who was trapped in the vehicle.
1 man in and out of consciousness tried to get help: police
Police initially said paramedics transported the male passenger to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. However, Ornge later said his injuries were critical, and they airlifted him to a trauma hospital in the Toronto area.
Police say it appears the crash occurred around 11 p.m. on Monday, however, the driver and passenger were trapped and unable to call for assistance.
“At this time, it appears that one of the injured males was able to get out of the vehicle through the windshield after the collision [no ejection],” a police spokesperson told CityNews. “Due to the time and darkness of the night when the collision occurred, he was unable to find a phone or get assistance from nearby passing vehicles.”
Police said that one of the men was in and out of consciousness, which is why officers weren’t immediately notified of the single-vehicle accident.
Investigators now believe the area where the collision occurred has no artificial lighting, which could have been a factor in the crash.
“The lack of artificial lighting may also be a contributing factor as to why no passing cars saw the vehicle or injured males,” police added. “The only artificial lighting would have been at the intersection south of the collision area.”
The roadway was closed for several hours, and the collision is still under investigation.
