Driver deceased following Highway 401 collision in Mallorytown

A collision that closed Ontario’s busiest highway in both directions over the weekend also claimed the life of a driver involved in the collision.

The Leeds County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed on the morning of Monday, Jul. 17, 2023, that one person had died as a result of the crash, which took place just after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jul. 15, 2023. Although the collision occurred on the westbound lanes of Highway 401 in Mallorytown, the incident closed both the west- and east-bound lanes; the eastbound lanes were closed for several hours, while the westbound lanes were closed for the remainder of the day, according to the OPP.

Police explained that initial information regarding the collision indicated that an eastbound passenger vehicle struck a transport truck travelling in the same direction before crossing the centre median and colliding “head on” with another transport truck.

Officers with the Leeds OPP, representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, the Front of Younge Fire Department, and Grenville Paramedic Services all attended the collision scene, which saw an Ornge helicopter land on Highway 401 in an attempt to get a seriously injured party to hospital, however, that individual – the 31-year-old driver of the passenger vehicle – was pronounced deceased on the scene, according to the OPP.

Police said that the investigation into this collision remains ongoing with the assistance of the OPP’s Technical Collision Investigators and Reconstructionists.

In response to Kingstonist inquiries, Constable Michael Mahon, Media Relations Officer for Leeds OPP, said that there were no passengers in any of the three vehicles involved in the collision, and that neither transport truck driver was injured.