(ESPANOLA, ON) – On November 22, 2013 at 12:45 p.m., officers from the Espanola Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a motor vehicle collision involving three vehicles on Highway 17 just west of Webbwood in Sables-Spanish Twp.
Preliminary investigation revealed an eastbound Volkswagon Jetta lost control on an icy section of the roadway, side-swiped a westbound mini-van and subsequently collided head-on with a westbound Dodge Durango.
The male driver of the Jetta, Ercole Rossi, age 74 of Sudbury was pronounced dead at the scene.
The female driver of the mini-van, a 64-year-old from North Shore Twp. was not injured.
The male driver of the Durango, a 48-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, was also not injured. The female passenger in the Durango, a 47-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, was treated for minor injuries at Espanola General Hospital and released while a second passenger, a 5-year-old boy from Chelmsford, suffered minor head injuries. He was transferred and admitted to Health Sciences North in Sudbury.
The investigation is continuing with the assistance of an OPP Collision Reconstructionist and an OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigator.
Officers would like to remind motorists to slow down and drive according to road and weather conditions. Allow yourself extra time travelling to and from destinations in winter. Check weather and road reports before you leave or change your plans and stay home. Always assume road conditions will be slippery in winter and leave ample space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.