Man and woman dead, 3 others hurt in crash near High Park in Toronto
A man and woman are dead and three other people were injured in a crash involving five vehicles near High Park in Toronto late Tuesday afternoon, police say.
The crash happened in the area of Spring Road and Parkside Drive, north of The Queensway. Police were called to the scene at about 4:40 p.m.
A 71-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman died in the crash, according to the Toronto Police Service. The man died at the scene, while the woman died in hospital a short time later.
In a news release on Wednesday, police said the two were in the same vehicle.
A 38-year-old man was taken to hospital in serious but not life-threatening condition and two other people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, police told reporters on Tuesday night.
In a news release on Wednesday, police said the 38-year-old man was driving a 2013 BMW 320i southbound on Parkside Drive at high speed when he collided with a 2003 Toyota Matrix, which was carrying the man and woman who died. On Tuesday night, police said the Matrix had been waiting in traffic.
That initial collision caused a chain reaction, with three other vehicles crashing into each other, according to the news release.
On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial sprung up at the scene.
Meanwhile, investigators are urging witnesses to come forward. A few witnesses have already spoken to police.
Police are asking local residents, business owners and drivers who may have security or dashboard camera footage of the area or crash to contact investigators.
'We need everyone's assistance with this,' police say
Shortly after the crash, Const. Alex Li, spokesperson for the Toronto police, said nothing has been ruled out and it's too early to say if alcohol played a role in the crash.
"We need everyone's assistance with this. This is an ongoing and active investigation," Li said.
Investigators could lay charges once they piece together what led to the crash, he added. Members of Toronto police's traffic services are continuing to investigate.
No charges had been laid as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Const. Edward Parks of the Toronto police.
Police closed Parkside Drive from Lake Shore Boulevard West to High Park Boulevard for hours on Tuesday night as officers reconstructed the crash to determine what happened.
Debris was left on the road. Skid marks were still visible on a nearby sidewalk on Wednesday.
