Thunder Bay

One person dead, 2 others sent to hospital after multi-vehicle collision on Highway 11-17 in Shuniah

One person is dead and two others have been sent to hospital following a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 11-17 in Shuniah in northwestern Ontario. A highway closure between Highway 527 and Pearl lasted about 12 hours.

A section of the highway was closed for 12 hours

Transport trucks are seen lined up along the highway.
Traffic backed up on Highway 11-17 in Thunder Bay, Ont., near Hodder Avenue following a multi-vehicle collision in Shuniah Wednesday afternoon. A section of the highway was closed for 12 hours. (Sarah Law/CBC)

One person is dead and two others have been sent to hospital following a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 11-17 in Shuniah in northwestern Ontario.

The collision, which occurred Wednesday shortly after 1:15 p.m. ET, involved two commercial motor vehicles and two passenger vehicles along the highway between West Loon Road and East Loon Road, police said in an update issued Thursday morning.

A 67-year-old man has been pronounced dead. Two other people were sent to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for further evaluation, said police.

The OPP North West Region Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement Team and OPP Collision Re-Constructionists, along with the Forensic Identification Services, are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

A person wearing a florescent vest is seen standing on a road, taking a phone call.
A Ministry of Transportation officer is seen on the scene of Highway 11-7 in Thunder Bay, Ont., where traffic was backed up for hours due to a multi-vehicle collision in Shuniah on Wednesday. (Sarah Law/CBC)

The Ministry of Transportation provided an update through Ontario 511 around 1:40 a.m. ET Thursday morning, sharing the collision scene has been cleared. All lanes have since reopened. 

A highway closure between Highway 527 and Pearl lasted about 12 hours.

Members of the Thunder Bay, Shabaqua, Armstrong and Nipigon Ontario Provincial Police detachments along with the Municipality of Shuniah Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene.

In a Facebook post, Shuniah Fire and Emergency Services said it had requested assistance from Thunder Bay Fire Rescue. The Pass Lake Volunteer Fire Protection Team and Superior North EMS had also responded, and an Ornge helicopter was on scene.