Pair of serious crashes shutdown part of Hwy. 416 for ‘several hours’

A shutdown of Highway 416 by provincial police due to two serious collisions on Tuesday morning has since reopened.

Constable Michael Fathi, with the Ottawa detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, said in a brief video posted earlier to social media that the northbound lanes of the highway were closed at Roger Stevens Drive near North Gower.

The single-vehicle crash happened just before 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Fathi told CityNews in a message that two people were sent to hospital in life-threatening conditions.

Just down the road, police responded to a second serious crash that officials say was caused by people not paying attention and looking at the previous collision.

Fathi said that two vehicles were involved in that incident, with one person being treated by paramedics on scene, before being sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police asked people to find alternative routes through the area during the closure.