Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Fiery Niagara-region crash kills three, hospitalizes five

PELHAM, Ont. -- A fiery crash in the heart of Ontario's wine country has left three people dead, sent five others to hospital and triggered a complex investigation, local police said Friday.

The horrific collision took place in the early hours of Friday morning on a rural road near St. Catharines, Ont., said Const. Rich Gadreau of the Niagara Regional Police Service.

Two vehicles were travelling in opposite directions when one of the cars strayed into oncoming traffic, Gadreau said. The resulting head-on collision caused one of the vehicles to burst into flames.

"One of (the passengers) was able to get out of the vehicle, whereas three others were not," Gadreau said.

That passenger, plus four occupants of the second vehicle, were airlifted to nearby hospitals, he said.

One man airlifted to Hamilton was believed to be in serious condition, he said, adding the status of the others was still unknown.

Gadreau said the investigation will be complicated by the difficult task of sifting through the burned wreckage.

The names of the victims are not expected to be released for several days, he said.

Jeff Youngblood told a Toronto television station his father was among those airlifted to hospital.

He said his parents were travelling with another couple as they returned from the Hamilton airport after a trip to Calgary.

Niagara police Chief Jeff McGuire said the crash will have a deep effect beyond those close to the victims.

"A number of families have been shattered today and the community will certainly take an impact from this as well," McGuire said.

 

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 14, 2012 A22

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