Young rap artist killed in single-vehicle highway collision
Four dead on GTA roads; 3 killed in fiery crash; Vaughan cyclist hit by car
Two separate collisions in the GTA early Saturday morning have left four people dead, including up-andcoming local rapper Shane Redway.
Three people, including Redway, were killed in a fiery, single-vehicle collision near Pearson International Airport just after 4 a.m.
The crash occurred on the Hwy. 427 northbound ramp to the 401 westbound, where the OPP says, for unknown reasons, a northbound vehicle veered off the highway and hit the right guardrail.
The vehicle burst into flames after the crash and witnesses rushed to the scene in an attempt to rescue the three people trapped inside. They got one out, the OPP said, and performed CPR on the woman until paramedics arrived.
The two people trapped inside the vehicle were pronounced dead on the scene, while the woman was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she later died.
Police haven’t confirmed the identities of victims, but believe the two people trapped inside the car were a male driver and female passenger. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said confirming the identities has been challenging because the bodies were badly burned.
The OPP closed the ramp for several hours for investigation following the crash. Police are still investigating what factors may have led to the crash and subsequent fire.
Redway was among those killed in the crash, his management company Champ Management confirmed to the Star.
“Redway was known for being a passionate artist who was always striving for greatness, pushing the boundaries of always believing in your visions & dreams, which led to the creation of the BLVD (The Belief Leading Visions & Dreams),” the company said in an email statement.
Toronto rappers Drake and Kardinal Offishall both sent out condolence messages on social media.
“RIP young Redway. He was on his way to greatness. Everybody only had amazing things to say. Gone too soon. God bless his fam and friends,” Kardinal Offishall tweeted.
“Gone way too soon. Just saw this guy yesterday at Bounce. RIP Redway,” Drake wrote in a post on Instagram.
Redway and his music have been featured in several publications, and news of his death triggered an outpouring of grief on social media, with the hashtag #RIPRedway becoming the top Twitter trend in Toronto. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help pay for Redway’s funeral.
Anyone with information or who witnessed the collision is asked to call the Toronto OPP detachment at 416-235-4981.
The other collision occurred shortly afterwards on Dufferin St. south of Teston Rd. in Vaughan.
York Regional Police say that a male cyclist was struck by a vehicle at about 4:30 a.m. and pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.
Dufferin St. was closed from just north of Major Mackenzie Dr. W. to Teston Rd. for a police investigation until early Saturday afternoon.