An overnight crash that killed the driver of a tractor-trailer has been followed by a second collision Tuesday morning that kept the highway closed for much of the day.
Chatham-Kent OPP says around 1:20 a.m. an eastbound tractor-trailer crossed the median into the westbound lanes, spilling paper products, and finally stopped in the north ditch.
The 56-year-old driver from Lockport, New York was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
That crash closed westbound lanes at Bloomfield Road, forcing traffic to detour off the highway.
Then around 9:30 a.m. three transport trucks on the westbound Highway 401 crashed in the area of Kent Bridge Road.
Three people were taken to hospital, one in critical condition.
It appears the tractor-trailers were rear-ended as traffic came to a stop ahead of the highway closure related to the earlier collision.
The highway reopened Tuesday evening after an investigation into the cause of the crash was completed.
