Multi-vehicle crash on QEW kills 1 man, injures others

A colossal traffic snarl that snared thousands of motorists Sunday was sparked by tragedy: a multi-vehicle collision on the QEW that killed one person and injured six others.

Police said the 7:30 a.m. crash near Dixie Rd. in Mississauga, which took the life of a 30-year-old Mississauga man, involved five vehicles including a crash truck and a tow truck, both from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.

A disabled Nissan Murano had been stuck motionless on the QEW, with the MTO trucks protecting it, when a white van lost control and struck the crash truck and a black Mazda 5, police say. The Mazda then struck the disabled Murano, which was pushed into the tow truck. The van sustained massive damage, with debris strewn across the road. The driver of the van, a 25-year-old man from Beeton, Ont., was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The man killed in the crash was a passenger in the van. Both passengers in the van were ejected during the crash. Five other people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. The day’s traffic was already fated to cause drivers problems on Sunday, which saw road closures for both the Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon and a Khalsa Day parade in west-end Toronto and Mississauga. The QEW eastbound was closed for eight hours after the crash, with drivers diverted at Cawthra Rd., before finally reopening around 3:45 p.m. In an unrelated accident, an elderly woman was sent to the hospital after a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 400 earlier this morning south of Steeles Ave. W.