An Ontario Provincial Police officer is in hospital after her cruiser was struck by a tractor trailer west of Orangeville in Dufferin County, where a state of emergency remains in effect due to the weather.
The female officer was conscious and breathing when emergency personnel responded to the scene near County Road 109 and 9th Line, and her injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.
Police spokesman Sgt. Peter Leon said the officer had to be freed from her vehicle, which was struck from behind and pushed into another transport truck.
The cruiser was stopped on the side of the road as the officer attended the scene of a jackknifed tractor trailer.
Whiteouts were occurring in the area and road conditions were treacherous when the crash occurred at about noon.
Dufferin County unable to keep up with snow
Dufferin County declared a state of emergency because of the weather conditions. The county has been walloped by snow and strong winds for days and several roads are impassable.
Spokeswoman Pam Hillock told CTV Barrie the county's staff and resources are "completely tapped" and they have been running non-stop for days to try to clear the snow off roads.
Blowing snow has been causing problems in parts of Ontario for days, creating hazardous driving conditions.
“I never ever thought I’d say this but until the state of emergency is lifted please don’t come to Dufferin,” Dufferin County Warden Bill Hill told CP24 Wednesday afternoon. “Stay at home and be safe.”
The following road closures are currently in place in Dufferin County:
- County Road 3 at Orangeville Fergus Road
- County Road 11 at 3rd Line Amaranth
- County Road 12 north of County Road 109
- County Road 16 from Veteran’s Way to Sideroad 5
- County Road 19 at Princess of Wales
- County Road 23 at B-Line
- County Road 109 west of Orangeville
- County Road 124 north of Hwy. 89
The state of emergency is expected to be in place for two to three days, Warden said late Wednesday afternoon.
The next update on the situation is expected at 7 a.m. Thursday.
OPP officers have been involved in multiple collisions while responding to crashes or calls for service.
In Grey County, an OPP cruiser was struck by a vehicle on County Road 12 near Temple Hill on Wednesday.
No one was injured in that crash but the damage to the police vehicle was extensive, OPP said.
On Tuesday, no one was injured when an OPP cruiser was struck twice in the same location on Highway 21 in Grey County.
Leon urged motorists to slow down and pass to the left when they see a vehicle on the side of the road, be it an emergency vehicle, tow truck or a civilian.
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