Emergency crews respond to vehicle in Lake Ontario at Bath Road and County Road 6

OPP have recovered the body of one person from the frigid waters of Lake Ontario near Amherstview after a vehicle crashed and sank off the shore of Bath Road and County Road 6. Police do not believe there were any other occupants in the vehicle.

The vehicle went into Lake Ontario at Bath Road and County Road 6 shortly after 10 a.m. this morning, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. Early reports said that the vehicle went over the guardrail and into and then under the water.

Witnesses said the vehicle was fully submerged within minutes. The Amherst Island Ferry, the Frontenac 2, was the first marine vehicle to respond.

Lennox and Addington Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) closed both Bath Road and County Road 6 while Loyalist Fire crews attempted a water rescue.

According to a witness, the vehicle was a black four-door sedan which was travelling at a very high rate of speed and made no effort to stop before hitting the guardrail along the roadway. “I witnessed the whole thing and was first on scene,” they stated, noting that the vehicle flew approximately 100 feet into the water and landed upside down.

The witness also stated the car rolled four times, settled “tires down” and took four minutes to sink completely. They said that they didn’t see anyone exiting the vehicle before or after the crash, nor could they tell how many occupants were inside the vehicle.

Another witness reportedly told the OPP that a vehicle with one occupant went about 150 meters out into the lake.

After about an hour, fire crews returned to shore and conducted a shoreline search. Both OPP and Loyalist Fire launched drones to continue to assess the scene from above. The Frontenac 2 was released from the scene but conducted a search to gather floating debris for some time afterwards.

Around noon all fire departments and rescue units cleared the scene. The roads remained closed as the OPP continued the investigation.

The OPP’s Underwater Search & Recovery Unit was on scene as of 5 p.m. on Friday evening to continue its investigation and conduct recovery. At around 8 p.m., OPP recovered the body of a deceased person. The victim’s identity has not been released at this time. The vehicle remains in the water pending recovery by a tow truck.

Kingstonist will provide updates as they become available.