Investigations are continuing after a tractor trailer went up in flames Thursday night and two unrelated crashes on Hwy. 401 in Brighton Friday morning, say Northumberland OPP.
Emergency crews have been busy on the highway since Thursday (Oct. 3) just before midnight, when Brighton fire and OPP were both dispatched to a tractor-trailer fire in the westbound lanes.
The trailer load caught on fire and crews worked for several hours to extinguish the flames. The highway was shut down in response, but one lane had reopened Friday morning by 3 a.m.
“There were no injuries reported, and the investigation is ongoing at this time,” said OPP, in their latest update.
Then, just after 8 a.m. Friday, police, fire and paramedics responded to reports of two unrelated crashes on the highway.
The westbound collision involved three tractor-trailers and a passenger vehicle – one of the trailers involved rolled and came to rest in the central grass median, said police.
“All three commercial vehicle drivers were uninjured.”
The driver of the passenger vehicle was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.
The crash closed the westbound lanes at County Road 30 until around 11 a.m., when one lane opened. Both lanes reopened around 11:15 a.m., noted OPP.
Meanwhile, an eastbound crash involving a tractor trailer and passenger vehicle, which was towing a vessel, resulted in four occupants of the passenger vehicle going to hospital as a precaution, according to OPP reports.
The passenger vehicle ended up in the ditch to the south of the highway and the tractor trailer stopped on the hard shoulder. The commercial vehicle driver was uninjured, said police.
This collision resulted in one eastbound lane being closed for a short time to accommodate tow removal.
Northumberland OPP said all the investigations are ongoing, and updates will be provided when available.
Police are also once again reminding drivers that holding or using cellphones and/or other hand-held communication devices to take videos or photos at collisions while driving past is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act. The offence can also lead to a fine of $615 and demerit points, stressed police.
Such activities also significantly increase the risk of causing another collision, since drivers may not notice changes in traffic or road signs or the presence of emergency crews, and this can lead to dangerous situations, explained police.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
