44-year-old Windsor man dies in crash involving 2 tractor trailers on 401 near Tilbury

Police have released the name of a 44-year-old Windsor man who died in a collision on Highway 401 near Tilbury Friday morning.

Chatham-Kent OPP say they responded to the highway around 6:50 a.m. Friday, alongside Chatham-Kent fire crews and paramedics.

The investigation has so far shown that a westbound tractor trailer lost control, crossed the centre median and collided with another tractor trailer that was headed east.

“There’s severe damage to both tractor trailers. Both drivers were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries,” Cst. Jay Denorer told 980 CFPL.

Just before 10 a.m., police said the driver of the westbound vehicle, 44-year-old Alaa Issa of Windsor, died in hospital due to his injuries. Meanwhile, police say the driver of the eastbound transport truck remains in hospital in critical condition.

The 401 was closed in both directions between Highway 77 and Queen’s Line throughout the day, with police reopening east and westbound lanes at around 9:30 p.m.

Denorer said authorities want motorists to take their time and use the emergency detours posted by authorities in order to get to their destinations.

“We don’t want to have an end of cue collision like we did a couple weeks ago where a transport or another vehicle is going the highway speeds then they come to a sudden stop due to a line of vehicles and they end up colliding.”

There’s no word on the cause of the crash, which has prompted frustration from an advocate for the installation of concrete barriers on the stretch of Highway 401 between Tilbury and London, dubbed “carnage alley.”

Alysson Storey’s friend, Sarah, and her five-year-old daughter Freya Payne were killed in a preventable crossover crash in late August 2017 on the 401 near Dutton, prompting her to help start a petition calling on the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to build a concrete barrier.

Storey, who is also a Chatham-Kent mayoral candidate, told 980 CFPL she’ll be making sure to bring this latest fatality to the attention of the provincial government. She noted that while it will be expensive, it will be worth it.

“Right now, the 401 is closed in both directions, delaying commerce and economic activity across the border. So if the premier isn’t interested in the human cost, perhaps he’s interested in the economic cost,” she said.

“This is a project that needs to be done. The budget is there, I’ve been advised by the MTO they have put it into their budget, it can get done and it needs to get started now.”

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Back in February, the Ministry of Transportation said concrete barriers are coming but more time is needed for planning. Until then, high-tension cable barriers are expected to be installed this year.