70-Vehicle Pileup Shuts Down Canada’s 401 For Several Hours

A 70-vehicle pileup closed the busy Canadian highway the 401 on Friday. The multi-vehicle collision is said to have occurred due to slick conditions and bad visibility.

The 401 has been reopened after being closed in both directions for several hours due to a 70-vehicle pileup east of Toronto. The 401 is one of Canada’s busiest highways, reports Travelers Today.

Several motorists lost control of their vehicles as snow started to fall on Friday, reducing visibility and making the road slick. The collision occurred near Newcastle around 3pm, according to The Canadian Press.

Yahoo reports that the 70-vehicle pileup left five transported to local hospitals, two in serious condition. One was flown to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital, but OPP spokeswoman Constable Linda Wolf said that none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The 70-vehicle pileup shut down a 10 kilometer (approx. 6 mile) stretch of the 401′s east-bound lanes until 10:30pm. West-bound lanes were shut down until just before midnight. Dozens of motorists were stranded in the cold for hours.

There is an investigation into the crash, but due to the fact that we’re looking at a 70-vehicle pileup, Wolf said that the investigations would take several days.

Weather conditions are definitely being looked at as a factor in the 70-vehicle pileup, but Wolf says that the incident demonstrates the need for drivers to slow down and pay more attention when driving conditions begin to deteriorate.

The 70-vehicle pileup also caused voting at the Ontario Liberal leadership convention to be extended for several hours.