27-year-old identified as Hensall crash victim
27-year-old identified as Hensall crash victim
A 27-year-old man has died after a single-vehicle crash near Hensall on Tuesday evening, according to police.
OPP, fire and EMS were called to the scene on Rodgerville Road near Ausable Line just after 7 p.m. where they found a heavily-damaged pickup truck that had collided with a concrete bridge abutment.
Evan Dickins of Hensall, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Marnie Hill has known Evan since he was two years old.
“There’s nobody here that doesn’t know him and I think it’s quite devastating to an entire community,” said Hill. “He always smiled. You always saw a smile on his face.”
She described Evan as a smart young man who was close with his family.
“He loved it here and he loved his friends and he loved his family,” she said. “No, he will never be forgotten.”
“We just saw them playing ball at the baseball diamond last night,” said Ashley Chillingworth, a friend of Evan and his family
“Everybody in town is going to miss him dearly. My condolences to out to the Dickins family.”
OPP couldn’t confirm if speed played a factor but told CTV News the investigation is still ongoing.
“It might be a little early to say for sure speed was a factor, but there is some indication based on the damage to the pickup truck and the damage to the bridge. There was a significant amount of force involved in this collision,” said Const. Jamie Stanley.
Stanley said a post-mortem exam is scheduled for Wednesday to determine if drugs or alcohol played a factor.
Condolences on social media read, "My heart goes to the Dickins family right now. They lost one heck of a brother, son, uncle and friend way to soon.... You always had the biggest smile and even a bigger heart to match it."
Because of damages to the bridge, police say Rodgerville Road has been temporarily closed.
- With files from CTV London's Jennifer Basa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We've been abandoned': Man dies in B.C. town waiting for health care near ambulance station
For the second time in less than a month, a resident of Ashcroft, B.C., died while waiting for health care after having a heart attack mere metres from a local ambulance station.

'I have to fight for myself': Quadriplegic man says N.S. government told him to live in a hospital
A diving accident at 14-years-old left Brian Parker paralyzed from the chest down. Now at age 49, he's without the person who was caring for him full-time until just last week, after his 68-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Canadian home sales fall for 5th month in a row, down 29 per cent from last July
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
Wet'suwet'en pipeline protest expected to block Vancouver traffic
A large rally planned in Vancouver to protest the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C. may block traffic Monday morning.
New COVID-19 booster targeting Omicron, original variants approved in U.K.
British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect against the original virus and the omicron variant.
Thousands of Afghans who helped Canada trapped in Afghanistan, struggling to leave
Canadian MPs and veteran groups are urging ministers to do more to help thousands of Afghans who assisted Canadian Forces, but remain trapped in Afghanistan a year after the Taliban seized Kabul.
Pfizer CEO tests positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms
The top executive at Pfizer, a leading producer of COVID-19 vaccines, has tested positive for the virus and says he is experiencing very mild symptoms.
Prince Harry, Meghan to visit U.K., Germany next month
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will visit the U.K. next month for the first time since they returned for Queen Elizabeth II 's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Padma Lakshmi 'worried and wordless' over attack on ex-husband Salman Rushdie
Padma Lakshmi is supporting her ex-husband Salman Rushdie in his recovery. The 'Top Chef' star tweeted Sunday that she is 'relieved' Rushdie is 'pulling through after Friday's nightmare' in which he was stabbed multiple times while on stage in New York.