A Crash On Highway 401 Caused A Car To Catch On Fire & 4 People Ended Up In The Hospital

A multi-vehicle crash on Highway 401 sent several people to the hospital on Friday morning, with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirming that one of the cars caught fire.

OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt told Narcity that the incident occurred after a single vehicle attempted to transfer from the express to the collectors' lane near Whites Road in Pickering and struck a concrete structure.

The impact caused the automobile to flip over, burst into flames, and collide with three other vehicles on the highway in what Schmidt described as a "multi-chain reaction crash."

"The driver of that vehicle was able to get out before the fire consumed it," he said. "He was taken to hospital with significant injuries but not life-threatening."

"Three other people were also taken to hospital, two drivers and a passenger," Schmidt added.

Photos of the accident, which reportedly took all morning to clean up, and road repairs, were shared by the OPP Highway Safety Division's Twitter, showing firefighters attempting to extinguish an inferno on the busy highway.

The images also show the charred remains of the vehicle. Safe to say, it won't be getting anyone where they're going anytime soon, if ever again.

The other victims' injuries were said to be "not very serious," with Schmidt hopeful they'll be released soon if they haven't already.

The crash caused the Ministry of Transportation to shut down the transfer lanes so emergency crews could repair the highway. However, the express and collector remained open.

Schmidt told Narcity that he didn't have "any word on charges."

The accident comes ahead of this weekend's return to wintry conditions, which will likely prove difficult for drivers.

Make sure you've got your winter tires on, motorists.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.