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1 dead after alleged ‘horrific’ hit-and-run collision on QEW near Beamsville

OPP officers investigating a fatal hit-and-run incident on the QEW on Jan. 7, 2020. Shane Murphy

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they are looking for several suspect vehicles after an alleged hit-and-run on the Toronto-bound Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Beamsville early Tuesday morning.

Investigators believe the incident began when the driver of a white Pontiac SUV hit a cement divider on the roadway between Ontario Street and Bartlett Road.

Police say the driver exited his SUV and may have tried to walk off the road before being struck by another car just after 3 a.m.

OPP Collision Reconstruction teams on the QEW between between Ontario Street and Bartlett Road Tuesday Jan. 7, 2020. Shane Murphy

OPP then say several other vehicles likely drove over the deceased after he was initially hit.

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“I can tell you the 28-year-old man from St Catharines was pronounced dead here at the scene,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a Twitter post early Tuesday morning, “The collision is horrific.”

One suspect vehicle – believed to have initially hit the man –  stopped momentarily then drove off before police and emergency crews arrived at the scene, according to OPP.

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“The vehicle that struck him stopped and then subsequently left the area,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a Twitter post early Tuesday morning. “The person involved in this collision certainly knows they struck something.”

OPP believe the incident began when the driver of a white SUV hit a cement divider on the roadway between Ontario Street and Bartlett Road. Shane Murphy

Schmidt went on to say that the vehicle continued Toronto-bound on the QEW and is likely a light coloured silver or gold Hyundai or Kia with “significant front-end and undercarriage damage.”

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The other suspect vehicle OPP are looking for is a commercial vehicle possibly white in colour with missing chrome wheel caps.

A portion of the Toronto-bound QEW was closed until just after 1:30 p.m. on Tuedsay, according to OPP. Vehicles had been rerouted at Ontario Street and let back onto the highway at Bartlett Road.

Anyone with information on the collision is asked to reach out to Burlington OPP at 905-681-2511, or tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Click to play video: 'Second pedestrian killed on highway 7'
Second pedestrian killed on highway 7

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