Crash claims 5 lives in Ontario county, including 4 teens

OPP have confirmed the identities of the five victims involved in a fatal accident in Middlesex County. Four high school students and one staff member from a school in Bruce County were killed in the crash.

Around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, emergency services responded to the scene at Thorndale Road and Cobble Hills Road in Thames Centre, east of Thorndale.

The crash involved two SUVs and a transport truck.

An occupant in the first SUV, a 33-year-old male, was transported to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries, but has since been pronounced deceased.

Three other occupants, two 17-year-old females and a 16-year-old female, were pronounced deceased on scene.

The fifth passenger, a 16-year-old female, was airlifted by Ornge to hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased.

The victims have been identified as four students and one staff member at Walkerton District Community School (WDSS) in Bruce County.

The Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) has issued a statement regarding the incident.

We are deeply saddened to share that four secondary students and one staff member from Walkerton District Community School (WDCS) passed away tragically on Friday afternoon in a motor vehicle collision while returning from a sporting event near London.

At this incredibly difficult time, we are supporting and respecting the privacy of the grieving families. We are unable to provide further details on the incident or identities of the individuals involved.

This is a devastating loss for WDCS, the local community, and Bluewater District School Board. We recognize that many staff, students, and community members in other areas across our board also have close connections with those lost in this tragedy, and their families.

Our board’s mental health staff and Tragedy Response Team will be supporting WDCS students and staff as they navigate through a very painful time in the days and weeks ahead.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families directly impacted, as they deal with unimaginable grief and sadness through this sudden and heartbreaking loss.

—  Jamie Pettit, communications officer, BWDSB

The driver and passenger of the second SUV and driver of the transport truck suffered minor injuries.

A neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, living about 150 metres away from the crash said he arrived home around 5 p.m. to what looked like, “about a dozen cruisers, firetrucks, and a helicopter.”

He told CTV News the first responders were on scene until close to 4 a.m. Saturday.

He said this stretch of road is notorious for speeders and people going through the stop sign at Cobble Hills Road.

Road 84/Thorndale Road from Cobble Hills Road to Heritage Road in Thorndale was closed for several hours while police investigated, it reopened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday.

Investigators are asking members of the public that may have been in the area at the time of the incident to check their dash camera footage in the event they captured the event, or the vehicles involved.

No further details have been made available.

--With files from CTV London’s Brent Lale