Driver dead after wrong-way collision on Highway 401 in Pickering

A fatal multi-vehicle crash has prompted the closure of eastbound lanes on Highway 401 in Pickering at Whites Road.

All eastbound lanes of Highway 401 in Pickering have reopened Sunday after a serious multi-vehicle crash overnight, though a stretch near Brock Road remains closed heading into the afternoon.

In a post to social media, Ontario Provincial Police say the full closure at Whites Road was lifted at around 12:40 p.m., after emergency crews spent hours on scene following a collision that left one person dead and two police officers injured.

Police say the incident began just before 3 a.m. in the eastbound collector lanes near Salem Road, when a pickup truck was travelling in the wrong direction and struck a passenger vehicle near Westney Road.

The driver of the vehicle, who police identified as a 38-year-old, was pronounced dead at the scene.

As a result, officials say the driver of the pickup truck, a 41-year-old, has been charged with dangerous operation causing death and impaired operation causing death.

Hours later, at about 4:25 a.m., a second crash happened in the same general area involving a passenger vehicle and a police cruiser. Two officers were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

In a separate post, Durham regional police noted both officers are “in good spirits and will make a full recovery.”

Despite the reopening of all lanes at Whites Road, OPP later confirmed at 1 p.m. that the eastbound collector lanes at Brock Road remain closed. That stretch remains partially closed in the area as crews continue their work.

Drivers are still being asked to avoid the area, with police saying earlier in the morning that the closure was “expected to be lengthy.”