Victim identified in fatal motorcycle crash in Wellington County
Police have identified the victim who died following a crash involving a motorcycle and two other vehicles just outside Guelph on Friday.
The OPP, along with paramedics and firefighters, were called to Highway 7, just west of Wellington Road 32, at approximately 11:30 p.m.
Police say the driver of the motorcycle was transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced deceased.
The driver has been identified as Vernon Russell Ward, 54, from Guelph.
On Friday officers said the precise cause of the crash is still unknown.
"There was no alcohol involved in the two passenger vehicles involved," explained Cst. Jacob Unger, with the Wellington County OPP on Friday.
“Some witness statements gathered did indicate that the driver of the motorcycle might have been possibly drinking, but none of that information has been confirmed yet,” he added.
"ALARMING" TREND
It was just two months ago when the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) called the number of fatalities involving motorcycles “alarming.”
Updated numbers provided to CTV News on Saturday evening show there have been 37 motorcycle fatalities on OPP-patrolled roads so far in 2022.
That compares to 31 for the entire year in 2021.
Investigators say they’re seeing some common factors in crashes involving motorcycles.
"So, there were three main contributing factors for motor cycle collisions and one was loss of control, failing to yield and excessive speeding,” stated Unger.
OPP said they will continue their work on preventing further fatalities, while they continue to work with different community and government partners.
"We continue to take a proactive approach as well, not just through education, but through patrols..trying to encourage proper driving behavior,” Unger said.
“Officers are always on the lookout for speeders and people driving dangerously."
He adds that, at the end of the day, police just want everyone to be able to return home safely.
In the case of Friday night’s crash, police continue their investigation and anyone who may have witnessed the collision is being asked to contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.