Tractor-trailer jackknifes, nearly strikes OPP cruiser on Hwy. 11

A tractor-trailer lost control on Highway 11 nearly striking a parker Ontario Provincial Police cruiser near Novar, Ont., on Jan. 29, 2026. (Ontario Provincial Police/Facebook)

Ontario Provincial Police say an officer conducting a traffic investigation on a northern Ontario highway narrowly avoided being struck last week when a commercial vehicle lost control and jackknifed near the scene.

The incident occurred on Jan. 29 as OPP were investigating a separate collision on Highway 11 near Novar.

Police said a commercial motor vehicle then approached the active scene travelling “too fast, lost control and jackknifed into the snowbank – coming dangerously close to the parked cruiser.”

The driver of the commercial vehicle, a 25-year-old from Timmins, was subsequently charged with careless driving and failing to slow down and proceed with caution when approaching an emergency vehicle.

OPP confirmed that no injuries resulted from the incident.

In a social media post detailing the event, police reiterated the importance of Ontario’s ‘Slow down, move over’ law, which requires drivers to slow down and, if safe to do so, change lanes when approaching stopped emergency vehicles with lights flashing.

“Everyone deserves to get home safely,” OPP wrote in the post.

“Slow down (and) move over,” added OPP Cost. Kyler Brouwer.

RELATED STORIES:

• OPP stop two stunt drivers on same northern highway within minutes
• Fatal crash between transport, SUV kills three on Hwy. 11
• Northern Ontario rally demands urgent safety fixes for Hwy. 11