10:45 p.m. Update:
A 69-year-old Burlington man died in hospital Wednesday, after his vehicle was hit by a wheel that detached from a transport truck on Highway 400.
The man was airlifted from the scene of the crash just north of King Road this morning. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt confirmed that the man died as a result of his injuries.
Police are continuing the investigation.
1:30 p.m. Update:
Highway 400 southbound has reopened at Aurora Road, but northbound lanes remain closed after a serious crash left one man with life-threatening injuries.
Police say a rear wheel flew off a transport truck at about 9 a.m., striking a northbound vehicle.
“The collision reconstruction team is on the scene and we are just in the process of mapping out the scene,” said Sgt. Kerry Schmidg.
“The involved vehicle has incredible amounts of damage on the front end.”
The male driver was taken from the scene to hospital by air ambulance in life-threatening condition.
Schmidt says the transport truck was hauling a load of lumber southbound, just north of King Road, when a set of dual wheels detached and flew into the southbound lanes.
“The rear axle set of wheels came off,” Schmidt said.
“One of those wheels bounced up over the highway, over the centre guardrail and then struck this northbound GMC Yukon."
There was just one person in the Yukon and he “sustained critical injuries.”
“Something like this … we have seen in the past,” Schmidt said.
“There is really no opportunity for a driver to even react. You don’t expect to see a set of wheels flying at you and by the time you realize what it is, they are right on top of you.”
Highway 400 southbound reopened at about 1 pm.
Original Article:
One man was taken by air ambulance to a Toronto hospital with serious injuries and Highway 400 remains closed in both directions from King Road to Aurora Road, after a tractor trailer lost a set of wheels.
Police say the truck tire struck a northbound vehicle at about 10 a.m.
The air ambulance landed on the highway and transported the man directly from the scene.
“This is going to be a significant impact to traffic for the next several hours,” said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.
