Photos: David Gonczol, The Ottawa Citizen
Source: Ottawa Citizen
ONTARIO - Ontario Provincial Police were expected to re-open Highway 416 northbound by 1 p.m. Monday, more than five hours after dozens of vehicles were involved in two separate pileups.
But southbound lanes were closed at Fallowfield Road from around 10:30 a.m. so a transport truck in the median could be removed.
The first pileup happened at around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 416 near Bankfield Road and the second minutes later a bit further south. There were also minor collisions further south on the highway, which was completely shut down between Roger Stevens Drive and Bankfield by 8 a.m.
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Tip 135 - How to drive in foggy conditions
Altogether, police say at least 70 vehicles were involved.
Amazingly, only four people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
“We’re doing very good compared to what I was expecting,” said OPP Const. Guy Prevost.
The highway was heavy with morning commuters and a bank of fog made visibility at the time of the pileups very poor.
Ottawans may remember a 2006 pileup with a drastically different outcome.
On the afternoon of Feb. 17, 2006, a freak snowstorm led to a whiteout on Highway 417, east of Ottawa, causing a massive 38-car pileup and killing five people.
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1 comments:
Ontario Provincial Police say fog coupled with slush contributed to four separate pockets of collisions involving more than 70 vehicles. One crash involved about 40 vehicles; another affected 30 vehicles.
Ah, yes. The dreaded Mr. Fog and Mr. Slush. I was out this morning for a short drive in those conditions - the radio called it "ice forming fog", all it took was 30 seconds driving down the street to realize the roads were an ice rink. And the temperature would make traction minimal between tire and road.
Yet. Yet! People hop on the expressway and drive like it's any other day. It's somehow inappropriate or inconceivable to slow right the hell down.
I'm not surprised there were this many wipe outs, it's actually quite fortunate no one was killed.
It's like people don't know any different speed between stopped and maximum+plus+some.
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