A one-year-old toddler was airlifted to a trauma centre and the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed for several hours after a single-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Pickering, Ontario Provincial Police said.
Crash in express lanes near Brock Road
Provincial police said the collision occurred at about 3 p.m. in the eastbound express lanes approaching Brock Road. The driver of the vehicle, identified by police as the child’s mother, was taken to hospital with what officers described as minor injuries.
“We have a full closure in place and that will remain in place for several hours, I suspect, as we do our investigation here on the highway, on the scene and clear the vehicles from the road,”
The comment was provided in a social media video update by Sgt. Kerry Schmidt shortly after 4 p.m. The Ontario Provincial Police’s Highway Safety Division advised motorists to avoid the area while officers conducted the on-scene investigation and cleared wreckage.
Traffic impacts and response
By roughly 5 p.m. police had reopened two lanes, though officers said earlier the closure would remain in place for several hours. Emergency services secured the scene and coordinated the air ambulance transfer to a trauma centre while investigators examined the vehicle and roadway.
- Time of crash: about 3 p.m.
- Initial closure: full closure of eastbound 401 at Brock Road
- Reopening: two lanes reopened by about 5 p.m.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Eastbound 401 express lanes, approaching Brock Road, Pickering |
| Injuries | One-year-old (airlifted), mother (hospitalized with minor injuries) |
| Police action | Full closure for investigation; lanes partially reopened by 5 p.m. |
Condition updates and wider context
Police later issued an update indicating the child was in stable condition. There was no immediate information released about the cause of the crash; investigators were continuing their work on scene.
The incident came on the same day that other major highway collisions were reported in the region: a three-vehicle crash that closed Highway 400 northbound south of the Holland Marsh earlier in the day, and two days after a serious collision on Highway 403 in Mississauga that left a child and an adult critically injured. Police have not connected those incidents to the Pickering crash.
For Pickering residents and commuters, the closure underscored the vulnerability of the 401 corridor to sudden disruptions. The 401 is a key artery for commuters and goods moving through the Greater Toronto Area; even short closures can produce long delays and create safety risks as drivers seek alternate routes.
Drivers are reminded to slow down, move over when safe, and allow emergency crews room to work. Police continue to investigate the cause of Thursday’s collision and have not released further details about any charges or contributing factors.
WE NEWS will update this report as more information becomes available from the Ontario Provincial Police and health-care authorities.
