Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating a fatal collision on County Road 28 south of Peterborough on Friday night.
The SIU investigates any police-related incidents where there are civilian deaths, serious injuries, discharge of a firearm at a person or a reported sexual assault.
According to the SIU, around 10:40 p.m., a Peterborough Police Service officer was conducting speed enforcement along the road. The SIU says a southbound vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed went past the officer.
The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, however, the officer “lost sight of the speeding motorist,” the SIU stated Saturday morning.
A short time later, the officer located the suspect vehicle in a multi-vehicle collision.
One occupant in one of the vehicles — a 19-year-old man — was pronounced deceased at the scene, the SIU said. Several other occupants in other vehicles were injured.
The victim’s name has not been released.
The SIU has assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators on the case.
At the scene on Saturday morning were a pickup truck on the shoulder and a car in a ditch, both with extensive front-end damage.
Anyone who may have information on the incident is asked to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529. The SIU is also asking anyone who may have any video evidence related to this incident to upload that video through the SIU website.
On Saturday morning around 5:30 a.m., OPP issued a tweet stating the road just south of Highway 115 to the Sixth Line is closed “due to a fatal motor vehicle collision.”
The Peterborough Police Service issued a brief statement that the road between Syer Line and Larmer Line is “closed for an ongoing investigation.”
“The road is expected to be closed for an extended period of time on Saturday, August 7, 2021,” police tweeted at 8:12 a.m.
The section of the roadway reopened around 1:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon.