Fiery Ontario collision kills 2, injures 2

A three-car accident in Ontario resulted in the deaths of two people on Jan. 27. The accident occurred just before 7 a.m. on Highway 6 in Mt. Hope.

A spokesperson for Ontario Provincial Police said that a Volvo driven by an 18-year-old man crossed the centre line and struck an SUV travelling in an opposing lane. The Volvo caught fire after the collision. A third vehicle crashed into the SUV and the Volvo, and all three vehicles spun sideways away from the site of that collision.

Emergency personnel pronounced the SUV’s 53-year-old male driver dead at the scene of the accident. Paramedics transported the 18-year-old man to hospital for treatment of critical injuries, but the man later died. The driver and passenger in the third vehicle suffered minor injuries in the crash. They were also taken to the hospital for treatment.

The Volvo was completely engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived at the scene of the accident. It took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the flames. Police closed a stretch of Highway 6 for more than four hours as investigators processed the scene. The highway was reopened at about 12:30 p.m. One OPP sergeant said that although some winter weather was in the area, the road’s condition did not appear to be a major factor in the crash. Investigators had not yet determined a cause at the time of reports, and they had not ruled out speed or alcohol impairment as possible contributing factors.

In many car accident cases, the negligent driver dies. Families of deceased accident victims sometimes consider filing wrongful death suits in order to recover damages such as loss of household services, lost income and other expenses. In these cases, it may be possible for families to seek compensation from the estates of deceased drivers.

Source: CBC News, “Road reopens after Mt. Hope crash kills 2,” Adam Carter, Jan. 27, 2015