Stretch of Ont. highway remains closed following fatal pileup, chemical spill

CTV Toronto: Driver killed in crash identified Ontario Provincial Police have identified the transport truck driver killed in a massive pile-up on Highway 401. Tracy Tong has the latest.

A stretch of Highway 401 in Eastern Ontario remained closed Wednesday morning, following a multi-vehicle collision and chemical spill that left one person dead and 28 injured.

Ontario Provincial Police said the pileup, which happened east of Kingston, Ont., involved at least 30 vehicles on Tuesday afternoon, and caused a highly toxic chemical spill.

It is believed the crash was caused by wind, snow and slick road conditions.

A total of 29 patients were admitted to Kingston General Hospital, including 13 who were first responders. The emergency workers underwent decontamination and were held for observation as a precaution.

The driver of one of the transport trucks that was caught up in the pileup died of his injuries.

On Tuesday night, officials could not say whether the truck driver died from injuries suffered in the crash, or if he was exposed to the toxic substance spill.

It was not clear Wednesday morning when the highway would reopen.

Motorists involved in the pileup described a chaotic scene Tuesday.

Truck driver Matt Morris said, as he was driving, he saw the brake lights on the vehicle in front of him come on “very rapidly and the distance between us closed very quickly.”

Morris was able to get his vehicle to stop safely, but he said four transport trucks in front of him collided. Then he saw crashes all around him.

“I could see in my rearview mirror, the transport (trucks) piling up and jackknifing and crashing into each other,” Morris said.