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Brant OPP continues to investigate after the driver of a dump truck that police say crashed into the Highway 403 overpass at Wayne Gretzky Parkway on Friday afternoon contacted them.
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const. Conrad Vitalis said a black Western Star truck pulling a trailer and what is believed to be an excavator hit the overpass at about 4:15 pm, causing a “substantial amount” of concrete to fall onto the 403. The driver then left the scene.
Vitalis said the truck was identified through numerous tips from witnesses.
He said several vehicles were damaged while driving over the debris but no injuries were reported.
Police closed the westbound lane of the highway, causing traffic to be backed up for several kilometres. The north and southbound lanes of Wayne Gretzky Parkway at the overpass also were closed by Brantford police.
At about 5:50 pm Friday, there was a three-vehicle crash in the westbound lane of the 403, east of Garden Avenue, resulting from traffic slowing down due to the first collision, said Vitalis.
He said four people, including three who needed to be extricated from their vehicles, were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The westbound 403 was reopened at about 10 pm on Friday.
Two southbound lanes and one northbound lane of Wayne Gretzky Parkway overpass were reopened Saturday morning. The median northbound lane remains closed.
Ministry of Transportation officials were called to the site to conduct a full assessment of the bridge, police said.
Lee Alderson, senior issuer with the ministry, said Monday that overpass girders over the 403 westbound lanes were damaged in the crash.
“Additional structural investigations are required to determine the extent of the damage, which is planned for this coming week,” Alderson said. “Once investigations are completed and repair work is planned, a timeline for reopening this lane will be determined.”