LONDON, ONT. -- One man is dead and a woman is in hospital with serious injuries following a crash north of London Sunday morning.
Middlesex OPP and emergency crews were called to Medway Road between Wonderland Road and Richmond Street at 7:43 a.m.Sunday.
"It has been identified that a single motor vehicle was travelling east bound on Medway Road, vehicle crossed lane, entered ditch and struck hydro pole," says Const. Kevin Howe of the Middlesex County OPP.
OPP are not releasing any names at this point.
Police say the driver has since died from his injuries and a woman passenger is being treated in hospital with serious injuries.
There is no word on why the car entered the ditch, but with good weather road conditions do not appear to be a factor.
A neighbour who wished not to appear on camera told CTV News that drivers are often exceeding the speed limit by 30-40 km/hr. and with the undulations in the road, it isn't safe to go as fast as they do.
Middlesex County Engineer Chris Traini agrees that the geometry of Medway Rd. is very hilly and vehicles aren't designed to go over 100km/hr in that stretch.
"The posted speed limit has been 70 km/hr. for over a couple of decades, because of the geometry of the road, you won’t' be able to control the vehicle," says Traini.
"It is set at 70 km/hr. for a reason, its' an engineering exercise and it’s the safe speed limit on Medway Road."
A few hundred metres West of the crash, a stoplight is being installed at Medway Road and Wonderland Road.
Traini says with the growth of London and Middlesex County, a lot more traffic is using both Wonderland and Medway Roads.
A traffic study was conducted and high volume shows a signal was warranted there.
While there has been some fatalities in that area, Traini says the signal is not being installed specifically for that reason.
Howe says while the cause of the crash is still under investigation, the OPP continues to push safe driving when the weather gets nice.
"When we get days like this, people get caught up in moment, get distracted and it's not like a day when its icy when they have to pay attention," says Howe.
He adds that it’s easy to have a momentary lapse in judgement or attention when the radio is turned up, and people are cruising along.
"Situations like this are happening far too often across the province," says Howe.
"It's not just about car accident, these two parties that have suffered serious injuries, and they have family, they have friends and that impacts the community. OPP continues to push the public safety message about driving, that one moment can change your life forever. "
