Four serious crashes on northern highways this week involved CMVs

A surge in serious collisions on northern highways this week all involved commercial motor vehicles, and three involved large transport trucks.

On Monday, a driver was airlifted to hospital in Sudbury following a three-vehicle crash on Highway 17. On Wednesday, a 69-year-old man from Ottawa died in a crash on Highway 69 near Pointe Au Baril.

On Thursday, Highway 6 was closed following a serious two-vehicle collision involving a commercial box van. On Friday, Highway 17 was closed for more than 12 hours following a fatal collision involving two transports.

OPP Const. Rob Lewis said each driving season brings its own hazards, but the warm weather brings more concerns.

More concerns in summer

“Wintertime, we have to worry about weather conditions,” Lewis told CTV News.

“Summertime, we have to worry about the increase in volumes of traffic due to vacations, children out of school, and a lot of people from out of the country travelling. Road construction is at its highest. Therefore, there are going to be many delays. So there’s a lot more concerns in (summer) than in the wintertime.”

So far this year, he said the northeast region is seeing an increase in fatal collisions.

“To date in 2024, we’ve had 11 fatal collisions,” Lewis said.

“For 2025, we have a total of 16 collisions ... In 2024, we had a total of 31 collisions for the whole year. So the number for 2025 is increasing a lot.”

He said the most common cause of a road collision is a driver losing control of their vehicle.

“The second is usually unknown and that usually applies to an individual single motor vehicle accident,” Lewis said.

Many near misses

“Third would be excessive speed and then attentive driving to the road conditions and what’s going on around them.”

Patrick Roberts, the Mayor of Smooth Rock Falls, said road safety is a long-term source of frustration, particularly the conduct of many tractor-trailer drivers.

“People are dying on the highways,” Roberts said.

“I’m so sorry for those families and everything that’s happened to them. But nobody’s even talking about the near misses.”

He said there are likely “a thousand” incidents every day that just narrowly miss becoming a serious crash. At the root of many of those, he said, are heavy trucks.

“They’re (transport trucks) passing on the hills, they are passing in double lanes, are passing on curves and cars are coming,” Roberts said.

“You see videos all the time online showing this, you know, just the trucks just miss you and the cars coming head-on … My God, it scares you.”

As a member of the Northeastern Ontario Municipal Association, he is hoping to meet with police, cabinet ministers and even Premier Doug Ford to discuss the issue.

MTO statement

In response to an inquiry from CTV News, the Ministry of Transportation sent this statement:

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these incidents.”

“The safety of the people travelling on Ontario’s highways is our top priority -- and a responsibility that the ministry takes very seriously. We continuously monitor our highway network, including collision analysis, to identify safety enhancements as required.”

“Police continue to investigate collisions and the ministry will review the details when available.”

“With road safety top of mind, we remind the public to always drive according to the conditions and rules of the road.”

For his part, Lewis said his No. 1 tip for staying safe on the roadways this summer is planning ahead and giving yourself plenty of time.

“Take your time to your destination,” Lewis said.

“Buckle up. Be prepared for stops and road closures and a high volume of traffic. Share the roadway with other motorists and just be courteous to everyone else on the highway.”