1 person dead, 1 in custody after fatal crash on Hwy. 401 in Pickering
Posted April 26, 2026 9:20 am.
Last Updated April 26, 2026 5:28 pm.
A 41-year-old has been charged in connection with a fatal accident on Highway 401 in Pickering early Sunday morning.
Provincial police say a pickup truck was travelling in the wrong direction on the eastbound lanes of the highway near Salem Road when it was involved in a crash with a passenger vehicle just after 2:30 a.m.
Investigators say the 38-year-old driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have charged the 41-year-old driver of the pickup truck with dangerous operation causing death and impaired operation causing death.
Police also said that a second collision occurred at approximately 4:25 a.m. in the same area involving another passenger vehicle and a police cruiser.
The Durham Regional Police Service Association said both officers were in good spirits and are expected to make a full recovery.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit has been called in to look into the crash involving the Durham police cruiser.
They say Durham police were providing traffic support, along with an MTO support truck, when an eastbound vehicle drove through barricades and struck the rear of the cruiser.
“The driver of the civilian vehicle, and two officers from the cruiser, were transported to hospital for treatment. The driver of the vehicle was diagnosed with a serious injury. The two officers were released from hospital with minor injuries,” the SIU said in a statement.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police officials that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
