Provincial police have shut down a section of Highway 11 in Orillia after a multi-vehicle collision.
The highway is closed between Old Barrie and Coldwater roads in both directions, and police are advising motorists to avoid the area altogether.
It’s still unclear exactly how many vehicles are involved, how many separate collisions took place, and whether people were injured.
UPDATE – Highway 11 Northbound Also Closing<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hwy11?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Hwy11</a> Northbound in the same area is also being closed due to the Collision. OPP ask motorists to follow directions from Emergency Services and road closures. Further updates to be released. ^sg
—@OPP_CR
Tow truck driver Sonny Subra was not involved in a collision, but says his vehicle got stuck on Highway 11 near the crash.
“It was very slippery. I tried to control my vehicle and then parked on the right shoulder,” he said in an interview with the CBC.
Subra said he believed about 50 vehicles in total were stopped on the highway — 30 of which had collided with each other, and about 20 that were uninvolved but were stuck on the road.
“There’s multiple transport trucks involved — like, eight or nine transport trucks. There’s people injured. This is a mess,” he said.
Subra later posted videos of people leaving their trapped cars behind to get in a bus, while others are picked up in an ambulance.
Everyone going in the bus, leaving the cars behind <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hwy11?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Hwy11</a> <a href=”https://t.co/p86OGYcvxK”>pic.twitter.com/p86OGYcvxK</a>
—@SonnySubra
The Orillia area is under a snow squall warning on Friday, with Environment Canada warning about hazardous travel conditions and poor visibility.
The OPP says they are also dealing with other collisions in the area, and “numerous surrounding roads are experiencing heavy call volume” as well.
