Ottawa hospital staff were treating six patients from a serious crash south of the city on Sunday, after a head-on collision on County Road 44 left one person dead and five others injured, three of them critically.
What happened
The collision happened on County Road 44 just north of Beach Road at around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. One vehicle involved had two occupants and the other had four, according to the report. OPP Sgt. Erin Cranton said one person was pronounced dead at the hospital after the crash.
The response
Six patients were taken to the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital, with one of them transported by air, underscoring how serious the scene was for first responders working just outside the city. Leeds Grenville paramedic service deputy chief Jonathan Sylvester provided details on the crash response, though the exact nature of the injuries to the surviving five has not been detailed beyond the fact that three are in critical condition.
County Road 44 was closed between Bedell and Beach roads as of shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday, with no word yet on when it will reopen.
Ottawa's connection to the crash
While the crash happened outside city limits, its consequences are being felt in Ottawa directly. That's the same emergency network Ottawa residents rely on, and a crash of this scale, with three patients in critical condition, puts real strain on that system.
What led here
That crash, too, prompted OPP to ask the public for help piecing together what happened. Sunday's collision on County Road 44 adds to a difficult stretch on the region's rural roads.
What's next
No further details have been released about the cause of Sunday's crash, the identities of those involved, or the condition of the five survivors beyond the critical status of three of them. OPP have not yet said when County Road 44 will reopen. This story will be updated as OPP release more information.
Sources: Yahoo News Canada (CBC News wire)
