One dead, another critical following crashes on rural roads in London area Easter weekend

A pair of serious crashes claimed one life and left a teen boy in critical condition in the London region this Easter weekend.

Middlesex County OPP says a 54-year-old man died after a crash Saturday morning on Richmond Street, north of Eight Mile Road.

Police say is was around 11:54 a.m. when a northbound Dodge minivan rear-ended a northbound cube van that stopped to turn onto a private driveway.

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The driver and lone occupant of the minivan had to be extricated and was later pronounced dead in hospital. He has been identified as Thomas Dinney from South Huron.

The driver and passenger of the cube van were not injured. Richmond Street was closed for several hours following the crash but has since re-opened.

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Meanwhile, a 16-year-old boy remains in critical condition following a single-vehicle crash Sunday on Coldstream Road, south of Egremont Drive.

Middlesex County OPP says a Subaru car left the roadway at around 4:23 p.m., struck a tree and caught fire.

Officers say the teen was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to the Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries where he remains in critical condition.

Coldstream Road remains closed between Gold Creek Drive and Lamont Drive as the OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigators continue to investigate.