A rural Ontario community is dealing with the grief of a deadly crash, and the province’s police force is preparing a new safety blitz.
The Perth County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police says it is set to kick off a new public awareness campaign on June 15, highlighting the dangers present at intersections.
It says that from 2021 to 2025, almost 5,000 motor vehicle collisions were recorded, and about a quarter of those collisions were intersection-related.
“The campaign will focus on intersection safety and driver awareness, with enforcement and education efforts throughout the week,” said OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk.
The effort comes after a deadly two-vehicle collision around 7:30 p.m., Friday evening in Mapleton Township, northwest of Kitchener, at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Road 12.
Investigators say five children were killed, and an infant was among the six people injured, after a van carrying 10 people collided with a sport utility vehicle and its sole occupant.
Police say the children were aged 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12.
Police believe the children’s parents and grandparents were also seriously hurt.
The driver of the SUV was also hospitalized with critical injuries.
“This is an unimaginable loss,” OPP Superintendent Dwight Thib told reporters at police headquarters in Fergus, Ont.
Thib thanked the “Good Samaritans” who stopped to help first responders, adding the victims received “immediate care” at the scene.
Gregg Davidson, the mayor of Mapleton Township, said he doesn’t yet know whether the victims are local residents.
“Our hearts go out to the family members involved, to the friends of the family,” Davidson said. “So many deceased in this one crash.”
The mayor said there are supports available for the volunteer firefighters and other first responders who were at the collision scene.
“It’s certainly not something you would want to come up upon,” Davidson said.
“Our community is strong, and our community is resilient,” Davidson added. “We’ll respond with kindness and love, like we always do.”
In a post on social media, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his thoughts are with those involved, as well as their families and loved ones.
“This heartbreaking loss is being felt across the community and the entire province,” Ford said, calling for community members to come together in the wake of the tragedy.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing to determine the full circumstances surrounding the crash and could not yet comment on specifics of the collision, including whether seatbelts were properly used.
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