Ontario man dead, woman seriously injured after head

Ontario man dead, woman seriously injured after head-on crash in Crapaud, P.E.I.

RCMP say a commercial truck appears to have crossed the centre line on Route 1 Wednesday

One person is dead and another is seriously injured after a head-on crash between a pickup truck and a commercial truck in Crapaud on Wednesday.

RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Gavin Moore said the crash happened on Route 1, near the Route 13 intersection, at about 5 p.m.

“It would appear that a commercial truck — this is an F-550 type of truck that was hauling an enclosed trailer — departed across the centre line, veered across the centre line, into the path of an oncoming pickup truck,” Moore told CBC News.

“The oncoming pickup truck was headed west, and the commercial vehicle was headed east.”

A 63-year-old Ontario man, who was in the pickup truck, was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman in that same vehicle was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, Moore said.

He said the person in the commercial vehicle, who is from P.E.I., suffered minor injuries. There were no animals in the enclosed trailer.

Police said alcohol and drugs are not believed to have been factors in the collision.

Moore said investigators are looking at a range of possible factors that can cause a vehicle to cross the centre line, including mechanical issues, drowsy driving and road conditions.

The road was closed for several hours while a collision reconstructionist examined the scene. Crapaud Fire Department and Island EMS also responded.

Thinh Nguyen is a digital reporter with CBC P.E.I. He can be reached at thinh.duc.nguyen@cbc.ca