Hwy. 144 between Onaping and Dowling reopened after fatal crash that killed two
Highway 144 between Onaping and Dowling has been reopened following a fatal crash that killed two people Thursday. The road was reopened after being closed for about 12 hours, Ontario Provincial Police said.
It happened just before 5 p.m. near Marina Road and involved three vehicles: a sports utility vehicle (SUV), pickup truck, and commercial vehicle.
"Preliminary investigation indicated that the SUV was traveling northbound on Highway 144 and collided with a northbound pickup truck while passing. The SUV then collided with the southbound CMV," OPP said in a news release Friday morning. "The SUV became engulfed in flames, which was later extinguished by Greater Sudbury Fire Service. Both the driver and passenger of the SUV were pronounced deceased at the scene while the driver of the CMV and pickup truck did not receive any injuries."
Technical crash investigators, coroner's office and the forensic pathology team are helping with the investigation.
No word on the cause of the crash.
That area of Hwy. 144 was the subject of a protest in August of this year. Residents were concerned about the safety of that stretch of road and want the Ministry of Transportation to rebuild the road in the area to make it safer.
Protesters had the support of Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas.
"Some of the (protest) signs will say ‘are you going to wait until one of the locals is seriously injured or died in an accident before you fix that stretch of road,’" Gelinas said in August. "They are afraid for themselves, for their families, for their children."
She also pointed out that there is no alternative road into Onaping Falls, meaning that when a collision closes down the road, many residents are stuck for hours waiting to get home.
"We know this is a dangerous stretch. We know how to fix it. Let’s give those people peace of mind, and every traveller – we’re talking thousands of people who travel 144 – let’s give them a safe highway," Gelinas said.
Correction
The OPP made a mistake in the length of the road closure in the first news release and has since corrected it. Highway 144 was closed for 12 hours as initially reported by CTV News, not five hours.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.