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UPDATE: One person killed in 60-car Hwy. 11 pileup, say OPP

'Orillia firefighters along with firefighters from Oro-Medonte and officers from the OPP have been going vehicle to vehicle checking on the occupants,' says fire chief
Dave Dawson
Dave Dawson
2025-02-07-hwy-11-crash-orillia-fb
Up to 60 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes on Highway 11 this morning. The highway, from just north of Orillia to Line 11 in Oro-Medonte, is closed in both directions and is expected to be closed for much of the day.Facebook photo

UPDATE:
One person was killed in Friday morning's crash on Highway 11.

OPP Acting Sgt. Jake Daynes told the media a 49-year-old person was killed in the crash that involved up to 60 vehicles. He said several others were transported to hospital with a range of injuries.

He said people should expect Highway 11 to be closed for an extended period of time.

As of 2:30 p.m., the northbound lanes of Highway 11 are closed from Highway 400 to Coldwater Road. The southbound lanes of the highway are closed from County Road 169 to Line 15 North. 

Line 15 North is closed from Highway 11 to Old Barrie Road.

Old Barrie Road is closed from Line 15 N to Memorial Avenue and Memorial Avenue is closed from Highway 12 to Highway 11.

ORIGINAL STORY:

As Orillia continues to get slammed by snow, Highway 11 is closed in both directions after up to 60 vehicles were involved in a massive crash Friday morning.

It happened near the off-ramp to Old Barrie Road at about 9 a.m. The initial crash, amid whiteouts and blowing snow, caused a chain-reaction crash along the busy stretch of highway with multiple collisions involving tractor-trailers and other vehicles.

"This is a guesstimate at this point, but it looks like between 50 and 60 vehicles were involved," said Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry from the crash scene, where whiteout conditions still persist.

He said ambulances transported multiple people "with varying degrees" of injuries to Orillia's Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH).

Lisa Roop, a community relations specialist for OSMH, said the hospital did not need to declare what's known as a Code Orange, which is used when there are large-scale, multiple-casualty incidents.

"We did not declare a Code Orange," she said. "After hearing reports of a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 11, we worked collaboratively with Simcoe County Paramedics and OPP to meet the needs of the community to support patients that required urgent care as a result."

She said the hospital's emergency department is operating at "full capacity."

Ferry said two Orillia Transit buses are now at the site of the crash and will transport people to Rotary Place in Orillia where they can stay warm and safe.

"Basically, Orillia firefighters along with firefighters from Oro-Medonte and officers from the OPP have been going vehicle to vehicle checking on the occupants to make sure people are OK," said Ferry.

While Friday's crash may not be the largest, it is "significant," said Ferry.

"We've had crashes of this size and magnitude before, but it's been quite some time since anything like this has happened," he said.

Ferry urged people to stay away from the crash site and to stay off local roads.

"It's been whiteout conditions since we arrived ... and it's still coming down," he said.

The highway is closed in both directions from just north of Orillia at Burnside Line/West Street to Line 11 in Oro-Medonte Township.

Ferry expects that stretch of highway will be closed for much of the day as tow trucks work to clear away the carnage. Then, the highway will have to be plowed and sanded.

Acting Sgt. Jake Daynes characterized this morning's incident as a "very serious, multi-vehicle" collision.

Police say as a result of the crash, local side roads are experiencing higher volumes with similar road conditions resulting in subsequent collisions.