Westbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed for more than 11 hours Friday between Guelph Line and Highway 6 in Puslinch Township due to a fatal crash.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m., two westbound vehicles collided between Guelph Line and Highway 6 South.
“It was a T-bone type of collision,” OPP Sgt. Dave Woodford tells CTV News.
One of the vehicles left the highway and came to rest in the ditch, with its driver uninjured.
The car that remained on the highway was struck by a transport truck that approached from behind.
“It’s dark out, it’s raining out, and all of a sudden he comes across a collision. He tried to swerve, by the looks of it … but unfortunately struck the vehicle,” says Woodford.
Both the car and truck were engulfed and destroyed by fire, and the driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene.
Truck driver Geordie Gristey rode past the scene immediately after the crash, before emergency responders arrived.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he says.
“I actually saw the wreckage under the front of the tractor-trailer fully engulfed in flames.”
The name of the victim is not being released until next of kin have been notified.
The driver of the transport truck was not injured.
Traffic on the 401 around the closed section and on detours was jammed for most of the morning, with some motorists spending more than four hours stuck in traffic.
“I was supposed to start work at 7:45, and I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” truck driver Surinder Badhla told CTV News at 10:30 a.m.
The highway reopened around 2:30 p.m.
