Provincial police closed the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 at Bloomfield Road in Chatham-Ken most of Tuesday after a collision and a rollover involving three transport trucks.
On Tuesday at around 2:30 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Constable Brett Phair gave an update on the situation and said a transport truck tried to avoid a crash as traffic was trying to avoid a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of Highway 401 at mile marker 87 and rolled over on to the centre median.
Phair added that another transport truck then rear-ended another big rig at mile marker 84 as a result of the traffic slow down from the rollover.
Phair said all injuries to the three drivers and one occupant are minor, but the damage at each scene is significant.
He said the trucks were loaded and it took crews almost seven hours to remove the vehicles and clean up the debris.
Cst. Phair is asking drivers to pay attention, leave space to react, and be patient.
“The majority of collisions are preventable. So, use good judgement and build good driving habits,” said Phair.
The eastbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed for several hours between Bloomfield Road and Communication Road. Just before 9:30 p.m., the area was reopened.
Investigators of Elgin County OPP (Chatham Detachment) would like to speak anyone who may have observed these vehicles prior to the collision, who observed the collision, or who may have dash cam footage of the collision.
Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or online at www.opp.ca/reporting. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-84777 (TIPS) or www.stthomas-elgincrimestoppers.ca where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.