Four dead, including three children, after Vaughan collision

CP24.com
Sept. 28, 2015
By Joshua Freeman

View video link: http://www.cp24.com/video?clipId=714540

A 65-year-old man and three children under the age of 10 are dead, and two other people are in hospital, after a multi-vehicle collision in Vaughan Sunday afternoon.

It happened at the intersection of Kirby Road and Kipling Avenue, near Kleinburg shortly after 4 p.m.

Vaughan district fire chief Brian Culp told CP24 that a van carrying six people was t-boned by a black SUV in the intersection and that another vehicle stopped at the intersection was hit in a secondary collision.

Four people from the van, including three children, were found lifeless at the scene, Culp said.

He said firefighters had to use the jaws of life to remove some of the occupants from the van.

“A tragic, tragic day on the roads here in York Region. This is going to be an ongoing investigation for several hours,” Const. Andy Pattenden told reporters at the scene.

Police initially said a woman from the van had been pronounced dead, however they later clarified that the deceased party was a 65-year-old man. Pattenden also confirmed Sunday evening that a boy from the van had been pronounced dead.

Two other children in the van died of their wounds in hospital on Monday morning. Two women from the van are also in hospital as a result of the crash, one in critical condition.

All of the children involved are younger than 10 years old, said Pattenden, who called the incident “the worst kind of call” first responders receive.

The van was carrying six members of the same family. The three children were siblings, travelling with their grandfather, grandmother and great-grandmother, police and family sources tell CP24.

Pattenden said the driver of the other vehicle, a 29-year-old man from King Township, was arrested at the scene.

“He’s been taken to our district now for an ongoing investigation, under arrest at this point for impaired driving causing death,” Pattenden said.

He said it is still too early in the investigation to say exactly how the collision occurred. The intersection is controlled by two stop signs in the north-south direction and it is a through-way in the east-west.

“The coroner has attended the scene and our major collision unit is here as well. They’ve got a lot of work to do tonight,” Pattenden said.

The intersection and surrounding roads have been shut down as police investigate the collision and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.

Police are also asking any potential witnesses to come forward.

“If there are any witnesses or anyone who saw this collision and hasn’t come forward yet to speak with police, we’d like to talk to them right away,” Pattenden said.

The driver who was arrested has not yet been charged. He is expected to make a court appearance in Newmarket on Sept. 28.