Two people, including an Ottawa man, were killed in a head-on crash involving a tractor trailer on Highway 17 near Alfred, Ont. early Tuesday morning.
Ontario Provincial Police say a pickup truck and westbound transport truck collided on the highway between County Road 15 and Peladeau Road at about 3:15 a.m. Both drivers died at the scene.
The driver of the pickup truck has been identified as 31-year-old Ghislain Landry of Orleans. The driver of the President's Choice tractor trailer is 50-year-old Gordon Wray of Oshawa.
Paramedics said the two vehicles hit so hard they couldn't tell whether the smaller vehicle was a pickup truck or a minivan.
"Sometimes it is difficult to really pinpoint what the vehicle was prior to the accident," said Louis Rathier, a Prescott-Russell paramedic.
Police say neither of the drivers was wearing a seatbelt.
"So if they were not buckled up that was a major factor in why people died in that accident," Rathier said.
Maurice Levac said he was awake when the crash happened near his house.
"When I came to put the lights on I saw the tractor trailer going by," he said. "I was at the stove when I heard a big bang."
Moments later, he said he could hear emergency vehicles start to come down the rural road.
"It's a dangerous corner here," said Louise Phaneuf, another area resident.
Trucks are a common sight on the road, with locals saying more street lights could perhaps help make it more safe.
The road was re-opened Tuesday afternoon after about 12 hours. Police said they're still trying to determine the cause of the crash.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes
