Provincial police have charged four people after a crash that damaged five vehicles and snarled traffic for hours along a busy stretch of Hwy. 401 near Chatham.
Chatham-Kent OPP says it was around 3:45 p.m. Thursday when they responded to a chain-reaction crash in the highway’s eastbound lanes near Communications Road.
When they arrived on scene, officers say they found two tractor-trailers came to safe stops as traffic slowed in a construction zone.
Then, a third big rig collided into the back of the second truck which then crashed into the first transport truck.
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Officers say it was at that point two more vehicles collided with the back of the third big rig.
The OPP says those involved reported only minor injuries, but all five vehicles had to be towed from the scene.
As a result of the investigation into the crash, the 51-year-old Brampton man driving one of the transport trucks has been charged with careless driving.
Officers say a 69-year-old Windsor man and a 35-year-old St. Thomas man have both been charged with following too closely.
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As emergency crews worked on scene to clear the area, officers say another tractor-trailer tried to use the centre median near the Charing Cross Overpass to get around the stoppage but wound up getting stuck. That meant more resources had to be used and it took longer to reopen the highway.
As a result of that additional incident, police charged a 25-year-old Scarborough man with three counts including careless driving.