A seven-vehicle crash on a two lane stretch of Highway 3 on Friday, May 20, killed one, seriously injured another and left three with non life-threatening injuries.
The accident occurred around 2:45 p.m. between County Road 18 and Upcott Side Road and involved pickup trucks pulling campers, a semi-truck hauling crushed stone and a motorcycle.
According to two witnesses who were involved in the accident, a three-wheeled motorcycle traveling east on Highway 3 entered the westbound lanes and slammed into the tractor trailer. They stated that the motorcycle suddenly appeared and veered in front of the truck.
The collision set off a chain reaction that sent the tractor trailer heading in the direction of the witnesses, who were driving a Ford F-150 pulling a camping trailer. The witness, veered off the highway in an attempt to avoid a collision with the truck, which clipped the camper trailer. Their truck and camper came to a stop, crumpled, in a ditch next to the highway.
The motorcycle and its rider caught fire during the collision, killing the rider at the scene of the accident.
Another driver was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and three others were treated for less serious injuries.
The stretch of Highway 3 in which the accident occurred is known as a notoriously deadly highway. A memorial wreath from a previous accident sat just across the road from Friday’s accident.
This marks the second fatal accident on a two-lane stretch of the highway in less than a month. On April 27, a Leamington woman was killed in a multi-vehicle collision near the Arner Townline.
That accident renewed the decades-long call from local leaders for Highway 3 to be widened to four lanes. Advocates have been calling for the change since 1993. The province finally began the project in 2004 and planned to complete it in three phases.
The first and second phases were completed in 2014, but the third and final phase, which will be the most expensive portion of the project and would expand the highway between Essex and Leamington, has yet to begin.
The auto accident lawyers at Greg Monforton & Partners have seen the tragedy associated with the countless number of accidents that occur on Highway 3. If you or someone you love is injured or killed in a car or motorcycle accident, do not hesitate to contact our Windsor office. We can help you recover the fair compensation you deserve after a devastating accident.
Call (866) 320-4770 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form today.