Two vehicles launch off the Highway 8 flyover, one driver dead

Ontario Provincial Police say two vehicles drove off the Highway 8 flyover in Kitchener, Ont., just hours apart, on Monday.

Both landed on their roofs, but only one driver survived.

OPP said a taxi went over the side early in the morning. The driver, incredibly, was not seriously hurt.

A little more than two hours after the road reopened, at 7:30 a.m., a second vehicle went off the flyover near that same spot.

“The driver lost control, ended up ramping up over shoulder, over the embankment and down onto the highway below,” said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, describing the drop as significant.

The driver has only been identified as a 38-year-old woman from Waterloo. OPP said an initial call went out to Ornge Air Ambulance but it was called off after the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to OPP, road conditions may have played a part in both collisions.

“Plows are coming through, clearing the highways, pushing that snow off to the side,” Schmidt said. “In this case, they can’t push it over the wall because it would go onto the highway below, and so it’s pushed up against the edge.”

He described it as a ramp or launch “for vehicles to go over the concrete wall if they lose control.”

Getting rid of the snow

Even though Highway 8 runs through Kitchener, the Ministry of Transportation is responsible for plowing the road.

“They’re clearing lanes and they’re doing a great job,” said Schmidt. “What they will have to do is likely come back now, either with loaders or snowblowers, and start loading that snow onto trucks and have it hauled away.”

That section of the flyover is a particularly tricky spot.

“We are still trying to determine exactly what the circumstances were that led to the vehicle losing control, but obviously around the bend on the elevated platform there’s slippery conditions,” Schmidt explained. “[Plows] need to come back again and start removing that snow as well and making those concrete barriers provide the function the way they’re intended to, which is redirect them back onto the highway, not launch them over the overpass.”

OPP said Highway 7’s westbound ramp to Highway 8 will remain closed until the Ministry of Transportation can assess the snow piled up against the concrete barrier.

Ministry response

The Ministry of Transportation said in a statement to CTV News that its “thoughts are with everyone affected by these incidents.”

The statement went on to say, “We are reviewing winter maintenance operations at the time of the incidents and will review findings of the police investigation, when available.”

Collision update

OPP said they have responded to approximately 200 crashes in the last 24 hours across Hamilton, the Greater Toronto Area and Waterloo Region.

“Most of them were minor fender benders, mixed in with minor injury collisions. Nothing too serious, although, we have had now two fatalities here in the GTHA,” Schmidt said. “We’ve had multiple jackknifed tractor trailers, and just slowdowns of all sorts, plus hundreds of other vehicles stuck in snowbanks and stuck in ditches that maybe not have been damaged but need a tow truck or some sort of assistance to get moving again.”

Highway 402 closure

OPP also shut down the eastbound lanes of Highway 402, near Wonderland Road in London, on Monday morning.

“It’s a sheet of ice out here,” Const. Jeff Hare said in a social media video. “People are losing control. We’ve had multiple collisions in this area.”

He also expressed frustration with those on the road.

“I sat here, trying to get cars to slow down, and we kept having cars fishtailing because they’re coming in too fast,” Hare said. “We need to be careful out here. We need to be aware of what we’re driving on, and we all need to do a bit better. Slow your speeds down. Let’s all get to where we’re going as safe as possible.”

Safety reminder

Ahead of Sunday’s snowfall, OPP shared dash cam video of a collision on Highway 401 near Drumbo.

A car could be seen suddenly swerving across two lanes of traffic and slamming into the front of a transport truck.

OPP said the driver escaped with only minor injuries.

“The video shows just how quickly things can go wrong when speeds aren’t adjusted for the conditions,” said Sgt. Ed Sanchuk. “Please remember to slow down, increase your following distance, avoid sudden movements such as hard braking or sharp steering. Stay alert for drifting snow, black ice and braking traffic ahead, and give transport trucks extra space.”

- With reporting by Hannah Schmidt