A 56-year-old man is dead following a collision between a transport truck and a vehicle on Highway 401 in Toronto.
The crash happened around 5:20 a.m. on the westbound lanes at Martin Grove.
Police said the deceased was in the passenger vehicle. He has been identified as Cristinel Murariu, of Toronto.
The driver of the transport truck was not injured.
“We got the call, originally for this collision, around 5:20 a.m. We had calls prior to that regarding a vehicle blocking a live lane and we’re still trying to investigate and determine what exactly happened prior to the collision that claimed the life of the driver of this car,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said.
“There was another vehicle down the road as well that has some damage to it. Not sure if that is why the vehicle was broken down in the live lane or if that was secondary to the vehicle being there in the first place.”
All westbound lanes were closed for several hours for the investigation but reopened just after 10 a.m.
OPP trucking blitz
Ontario Provincial Police announced on Monday they will be conducting a traffic blitz targeting commercial motor vehicles with the use of trucks of their own.
Police said this will allow officers a better vantage point for spotting drivers inside large transport vehicles.
“This is a technique we’ve used before to great success,” Deputy OPP Commissioner Brad Blair said.
“It’s one of those deterrents out there. People think, ‘Hmm, there could be a transport truck driving along with a police officer.'”
LISTEN: Deputy OPP Commissioner Brad Blair joins Kelly Cutrara on 640 Toronto
The latest enforcement initiative aims to reduce the number of fatal collisions on Ontario roads.
During the five-day blitz, OPP officers will be targeting violations such as distracted driving, aggressive and impaired driving, speeding, following too closely and hours of service violations.
So far this year, the OPP has responded to more than 6,200 transport truck-related collisions, with 87 people dying in 72 of those crashes.
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