Police: Crash might have involved mechanical failure

TORONTO — A deadly crash on a busy toll highway north of Toronto might have been caused by a mechanical failure in one of the vehicles involved, Ontario Provincial Police said Thursday.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said a malfunction on a fuel truck is among the primary theories police are investigating as they probe the fiery collision that killed two men Wednesday afternoon on Highway 407 in Vaughan, Ont.

While human factors are also part of the investigation and no theories have been eliminated, Schmidt said a mechanical issue is seen as the most likely cause.

“One of the possibilities is that the vehicle had a … malfunction such as a suspension or tire blowout, which caused the vehicle to veer,” Schmidt said.

A 41-year-old fuel truck driver from Brampton, Ont., and a 49-year-old man from Mississauga, Ont., who was driving a passenger vehicle, were killed in the collision. The crash sent smoke billowing over the area for several kilometres and shuttered a stretch of the highway for more than 12 hours.