Charges pending for transport driver in Highway 401 crash: OPP

Charges pending for tractor trailer driver in fatal Hwy. 401 crash in Cambridge. Investigation ongoing.

Charges are pending against the driver of a tractor trailer involved in a fatal crash on Highway 401 at Townline Road in Cambridge, said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt. The driver of a transport truck was initially arrested at the scene of the Saturday crash, Schmidt said, but was released pending further investigation.

Schmidt said the crash occurred at 12:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of the highway when the transport truck collided with slowing traffic. A Kitchener man, 44, was airlifted from the scene and was initially said by OPP to be suffering from serious injuries. He was later pronounced deceased at a trauma centre.

Police are looking at driver error as the cause of the accident, Schmidt said. In total, about 18 people were involved in the crash, including drivers and passengers, and around 16 people were taken to hospital with injuries. All eastbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed at Townline Road for more than 10 hours and did not reopen again until 10:41 p.m. on Saturday.