Timeline From Yesterday's Chaos

Thursday, 14 February 2019 10:36

The following is a complete timeline of events from the chaos yesterday that involved 27 vehicles and one fatality.

OXFORD COUNTY - One person has died following a multi vehicle crash on the 401 W/B at Oxford Road 6/Foldens Line.

Police responded to two separate multi vehicle crashes on the 401 W/B yesterday on Oxford Road 6 and Sweaburg Road. At least 27 vehicles were involved in the two collisions yesterday. The fatality at the Oxford Road 6 pileup that had between 15-20 vehicles including several transports. Police are not releasing the name of the deceased until next of kin are notified. One other person was taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Yesterday was an extremely long day for the all essential services in the County including OPP, EMS and Fire. It was also a long day for tow truck drivers and anyone who was stuck in traffic, or even worse, those who were stuck in the pileup.

The following is a complete timeline of events from the chaos yesterday:

2:15 p.m. - Heart FM received a call from the OPP that the 401 W/B is closed at Oxford Road 6 and Sweaburg Road after a multi vehicle crash. All three lanes are blocked and traffic needs to get off the highway in Woodstock.

3:07 p.m. - Woodstock Police put out a release saying the Mill Street on and off ramps are closed from a separate accident.

3:50 p.m. - Oxford OPP closed off the 401 W/B at Highway 2, making traffic get off the highway at the HWY 2 exit ramps. Motorists were being advised to get off even earlier if they could, preferably at the Drumbo Road exit.

4:00 p.m. - Heart FM starts getting traffic calls about the mess in Woodstock from all the excess traffic. Parkinson and Dundas were at stand stills for the entire night with wall to wall traffic and transports that had been forced off the highway.

4:05 p.m. - OPP put out the first official statements on the collisions, confirming it was two multi vehicle pileups with the bulk of it at Foldens Line. This was also the first time they confirmed publicly there had been a fatality.

4:50 p.m. - Heart FM is given notice about Highway 2 being at a standstill coming into Thamesford from London. All of the major roadways in Oxford County were extremely slow going during the evening commute last night.

6:30 p.m. - OPP issue another video of the wreckage.

7:30 p.m. - Police provide another update saying it is going to take at least 6 hours to clean up the mess, possibly even all night.

Sgt. Laura Brown has an update on the multi-vehicle crash on Highway 401 near Ingersoll. ^dr pic.twitter.com/TyG1YfYm9z
— OPP West (@OPP_WR) February 14, 2019