Police say a man who was trying to help another driver is dead after being struck by a transport truck.
The crash happened Monday morning on Highway 400 near Vasey Road at 3:30 a.m.
Jonathan Antler-Paquette, a 21-year-old man from Victoria Harbour, was killed. Police say he got out of his car to help another driver when he was hit by the truck.
OPP Traffic Sgt. Brian Humber tells CTV News a van was travelling southbound on Highway 400 in Severn Township and was going too fast for the road conditions. The driver lost control and the van struck a snowbank and rolled onto its side.
Another motorist stopped to help that driver and was hit and killed by a transport truck.
“A Good Samaritan stopped to help that vehicle out and the driver,” says Humber. “As the Samaritan was out helping the vehicle operator, unfortunately a tractor trailer came down and couldn’t see this pedestrian was in the highway.”
Humber says conditions made it difficult for the transport truck driver to see the man, who was out of his car standing between his car and the van. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” he says. “We have a young fella who was trying to help out another person who was involved in a situation and we’ve lost a life needlessly…”
The transport truck jackknifed and also hit both vehicles. The truck then became stuck across the highway and a fourth vehicle - a pick-up truck - drove into the back of the jackknifed transport truck.
A second man was taken to hospital with minor injuries, and OPP say the driver of the tractor trailer is in shock.
Police say it was snowing at the time.
“When we arrived there was some blowing snow across the highway,” Humber says, adding it’s too early in the investigation to say whether the roads were icy.
No charges have been laid.
- With files from Mike Walker
