A collision between two semi-trailer trucks on the Trans-Canada Highway near Shabaqua Corners closed both lanes for several hours before reopening to one lane.
Highway 17 shut down shortly after 6 p.m. last night to allow Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to investigate and crews to clean up the site. OPP says the drivers’ injuries were assessed at the scene; however, there is no word on their conditions.
The highway reopened to traffic around 3 a.m. this morning.
One driver who passed by the scene, Scott Pettigrew, says around 6:00 a.m., “There’s heavy equipment on site trying to remove the debris of the transport truck that was heading westbound. It’s on its side on the highway and right now it’s just alternating traffic going through, but traffic is getting through again on Highway 17.”
Pettigrew adds, “The eastbound truck was on its side in the ditch and it looks like at some point it caught fire.”
He says he frequently commutes along this stretch of highway and that accidents are common, referencing a fatal crash earlier this year.
“It’s a dangerous stretch, and the problem is if it’s closed, there isn’t another way to get around it,” Pettigrew explains. “For my drive this morning to Dryden it’s normally four hours, but if the highway was still closed when I was leaving this morning, it would turn into five and a half.”
There has been no indication of how long crews will remain on site.
