A Florida woman is in critical condition and her driver has been charged with dangerous driving after a high-speed rollover on Hwy. 404 last night.
Ontario Provincial Police say the driver of a southbound Honda Civic lost control of the vehicle near a Hwy. 407 ramp, just before midnight.
Const. Dave Woodford said the car crossed over a grassy median and struck a steel barrier before sailing over the ramp and landing in a ditch on the other side.
Woodford said the car came to a rest “about 200 to 300 metres” away.
The passenger, a 22-year-old woman from Florida, was taken to Sunnybrook hospital with life-threatening injuries. She underwent surgery early this morning but remains in critical condition.
Woodford said both of the Honda’s occupants were wearing seat belts, and neither was ejected from the vehicle.
Police believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, he added.
The driver, a 20-year-old east Toronto man, was taken to a Markham-area hospital with minor injuries. He was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. He is scheduled to appear in court in Newmarket on Oct. 1.
Police believe he may have been racing with another car because they were travelling at a high speed beside each other.
"We don’t know if they came in contact and that’s what caused (the first) one to go out of control, but we have two vehicles here now," he said.
If the Florida woman dies, Woodford said the driver of the Civic could face charges of dangerous operation causing death. If police discover the two had been racing, they could both be charged under the street racing legislation, he said.
Woodford said the accident was the fourth case of extreme speeding in the same area in just a few hours.
Just before the accident, OPP seized three vehicles, one of which was clocked at 218 km/h. The other two were observed travelling at 192 km/h and 160 km/h.
"It’s not acceptable. They have to slow down," he said.
