| Embrum Highway 417 Pileup | |
| Date: | February 17, 2006 |
| Location: | Embrum, Ontario |
| Vehicles: | 38 (cars, transport trucks) |
| Deaths: | 5 |
| Injuries: | 20 |
The Embrum Highway 417 Pileup occurred on February 17, 2006 after a sudden whiteout caused a multi vehicle collision involving 38 vehicles claiming the lives of five people and injuring many others.[1]
On February 17, 2006 near Embrum, ON, just east of Ottawa, ON on Highway 417, a flash freeze and whiteout conditions in the Ottawa Valley caused drivers to slow down abruptly, causing a chain reaction of collisions,[2] By the time drivers saw the accident they were unable to slow down because of the icy roads. At least 38 vehicles including 4 tractor trailers were involved in the collision.[3] OC Transpo sent a bus-ambulance to transfer people from the scene to a fire station in Limoges, ON, a town north of Embrum, ON. More than 20 people suffered injuries, 12 of them serious, in the chain-reaction accident. In the end, 5 people were killed in the collision including a father and his 2 year old daughter.
Canada's second deadliest multi-vehicle collision, second only to the 1999 Ontario Highway 401 crash.
After a thorough OPP investigation, it was determined that no charges would be laid in this accident.