A serious overnight collision on Highway 11 has resulted in three fatalities, Ontario Provincial Police confirmed in a news release Sunday afternoon.
OPP is investigating the fatal two-vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer and a pickup truck that occurred around 12:30 a.m. in Opasatika Township.
“Unfortunately, there were four occupants in the pickup truck, which resulted in three fatalities,” said OPP Sgt. Martin Thibault speaking with CTV News on Monday.
The pickup truck was occupied by four individuals and police said its 41-year-old driver was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The three other occupants – aged 41, 15 and 12 – were pronounced dead at the scene.
OPP advised the driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation by OPP with assistance from the coroner’s office and collision investigators.
Thibault noted the investigation is “still very early in the early stages” and involves OPP’s traffic incident management and enforcement unit.
“We don’t have a cause as of yet, but officers are working to determine what happened,” he said.
Extended closure, phased reopening
The fatal crash prompted a full, extended closure of Highway 11 for much of Sunday.
In a series of updates throughout the day, OPP reported a phased reopening of the route. A partial reopening of the westbound lanes from Longlac to Nipigon occurred before noon Sunday.
By Sunday evening, OPP announced further progress. The highway fully reopened between Nipigon and Longlac at approximately 6:20 p.m., and between Nipigon and Hearst by 7:40 p.m.
Finally, just before midnight Sunday, OPP confirmed the highway had fully reopened between Hearst and Cochrane, clearing all remaining closures related to the collision and recent weather conditions.
Throughout the day on Sunday, authorities had advised the public to avoid travel in the affected region unless “absolutely necessary.”
OPP also advised motorists to consult 511on.ca for up-to-date road information.
OPP had first announced the partial closure of the highway shortly after 1 a.m. between Hearst and Kapuskasing Airport. By approximately 2 a.m., the closure was extended to the entire stretch between Nipigon and Cochrane due to the serious collision near Opasatika.
Community response for stranded motorists
With the extended closure, many drivers had parked at commercial lots throughout Hearst.
“To assist those motorists during this time, a mobility shuttle bus will circulate within town to all those parking lots to bring people to food and washroom facilities and back to their vehicle,” OPP said on social media Sunday afternoon.
The shuttle operated in a continuous loop with no defined schedule; people could wave at the driver to request a pick-up.
Ongoing investigation
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the collision or who has dashcam footage from the Opasatika area around 12:30 a.m. to contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
“We are looking at anybody that may have dashcam footage from the area at the time of the event,” said Thibault.
With files from CTVNorthernOntario.ca journalist Amanda Hicks
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