A fire collision occurred on Highway 11 near Line 7; “Unfortunately, this marks the fifth death this week on the OPP Central District’s highways,” the OPP said.
The horrific head-on accident that killed a man earlier this morning was the result of driving in the wrong direction on the northern lanes of Highway 11, police said.
The Orillia OPP says the incident, which caused a fire and sent smoke rising into the air, happened shortly after 2 a.m. this morning after numerous reports of a “vehicle on the wrong path” on a busy provincial highway.
It was confirmed on the spot that one person had died. No other injuries were reported.
The fire broke out south of line 7 in the town of Oro-Medonte. It is not clear why the man drove in the wrong direction.
Orillia OPP, along with firefighters from the town of Oro-Medonte and paramedics from Simco County, responded to the crash.
Employees of the Central District Traffic Rehabilitation Center were also called on the spot to assist in the investigation.
Due to significant damage to the highway, officials from the provincial Ministry of Transport are on site to assess the damage. The northern lanes of Highway 11 will remain closed until further notice.
This is the second fatal crash on local roads in 24 hours. A man from Fenelon Falls died in a two-vehicle crash near Coldwater on Thursday morning.
“This is, unfortunately, the fifth death this week on the OPP Central Region’s patrolled highways and the ninth death in April in the region,” the OPP said in a statement.
Police remind drivers to be careful and vigilant while driving.
The Orillia OPP requires all witnesses who have not yet spoken to police or have a recording of this morning’s collision on Highway 11 to call the Orillia OPP at 705-326-3536 or 1-888-310-1122.
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