38 year old dead after crash with pickup truck travelling in wrong direction on Hwy 401: OPP

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A 38-year-old person is dead and four people were taken to hospital, including two police officers, after two separate crashes took place in the same area on Highway 401 in Pickering early Sunday morning, said Ontario Provincial Police.

Officers responded around 2:40 a.m. to reports of a crash between a pickup truck and passenger vehicle in the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 near Westney Road, said the OPP in a news release.

The pickup truck was travelling in the wrong direction and going west in the eastbound lanes, OPP spokesperson Taylor Konkle told CBC News.

The driver of the passenger vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene and the pickup truck driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries, he said.

Around 4:25 a.m., a separate crash took place in the same area between a passenger vehicle and police cruiser, said the OPP.

The passenger vehicle collided with the rear-end of the cruiser when officers were setting up road closures, said Konkle.

Two officers were taken to hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries and the driver of the passenger vehicle was transported for minor injuries.

All eastbound lanes of Highway 401 at Whites Road are closed for the ongoing investigation.

Police urge anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage to contact the OPP or Crime Stoppers.