A serious two-vehicle collision occurred earlier Monday on Hwy. 401 eastbound near Newtonville Rd. in Clarington, leaving two people hospitalized with serious injuries.
The incident occurred when an eastbound vehicle lost a wheel assembly, which crossed into the westbound lanes and struck a passing westbound vehicle, according to the Ontario Provincial Police.
Police said the vehicle's two occupants, a man and woman in their 70s, sustained serious and minor injuries, respectively. The woman was airlifted to a trauma centre, where her injuries are listed as serious but not life-threatening.
Following the collision, the OPP charged the driver of the eastbound vehicle with having detached parts coming from their vehicle, highlighting the risks associated with wheels coming loose on highways.
Last September, a fatal crash occurred on the QEW in St. Catharines, Ont., when a detached truck wheel flew into oncoming traffic, striking a vehicle carrying two U.S. citizens and resulting in the death of the driver.
Similar incidents have been reported in the past, including a July incident on Hwy. 400 in Innisfil, where a wheel became detached and struck four vehicles, and a June 2023 incident on Hwy. 401 in the westbound lanes near Dixon Rd., where two people were hospitalized with minor injuries.
These incidents, along with a series of similar incidents in the 1990s that led to several fatalities, have led to the implementation of tougher legislation, including an absolute liability law that came into effect in 1997, making owners responsible for losing wheels with no defence.
