A man was rushed to hospital in critical condition on Friday night after a pickup truck collided with a transport truck on Highway 401 in Whitby.
The crash occurred at around 11:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 near Lake Ridge Road.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said construction delays in the area forced the driver of the transport truck to come to a stop in the middle lane of the highway.
The driver of a pickup failed to stop and slammed into the back of the transport truck.
“Basically the entire passenger’s side of the vehicle was underneath the trailer of the transport,” Schmidt said.
“The driver in that pickup was trapped in the vehicle for some time until he was extricated by EMS. He was taken to a local hospital and then immediately airlifted to a trauma centre in Toronto.”
The man remains in hospital this morning in critical condition.
“Family have been notified and they are with him at his side as we speak,” Schmidt said.
Police have not released the victim’s age.
The driver of the transport truck was not injured in the crash.
The highway was closed for several hours as police investigated the incident but all lanes reopened shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday.
Schmidt said the investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact the Whitby OPP detachment.
