A mother and her three young daughters have died after a four-vehicle collision in Brampton Thursday afternoon, officials say.
Emergency crews were called to the intersection of Torbram Road and Countryside Drive in Brampton’s north end at around 12:16 p.m.
Peel Regional Police Const. Akhil Mooken said a child died at the scene while two others and a woman were taken to hospital by paramedics. A child and a woman were pronounced dead. Police initially reported three children died, but a short time later officers said the third child was in critical condition. At the end of the afternoon, police announced the third child died.
“It is shocking, it is devastating and as a parent when I first saw this call come across the first thing I could think of was my own daughter and trying to imagine if at all possible the pain that family was going to be facing,” he said.
Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), invoked its mandate in connection with the crash. The SIU is an independent agency that investigates the conduct of officers involved in incidents where death or serious injury has occurred. Under Ontario law, Peel Regional Police aren’t allowed to discuss the involvement of police after the SIU invokes its mandate.
SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon said a Peel Regional Police officer travelling westbound on Countryside Drive “observed” an Infiniti car travelling eastbound. The Infinity car subsequently collided with an Atlas SUV travelling north on Torbram Road.
She said the victims, a 37-year-old woman, a one-year-old girl, a four-year-old girl and a six-year-old girl from the Caledon area, were inside the SUV. Hudon said the six-year-old died at the scene and the rest of the family members died in hospital.
Hudon said the driver of the Infiniti, a 20-year-old man, was taken to hospital with critical injuries.
Mooken said an unknown number of people in the two other vehicles involved in the collision were taken to hospital with varying injuries.
When asked about how police were involved after the initial observation, Hudon did not elaborate and said that is part of an ongoing investigation.
An Ornge air ambulance was initially requested to assist with transporting patient, but it was cancelled before arriving.
Both the SIU and the Peel Regional Police major collision bureau were set to investigate the crash and the circumstances leading up to it.
Mooken said the crash scene was expected to be closed for several hours.
Meanwhile, anyone with information about the incident or video was asked to call the SIU at 1-800-787-8529.