18-year-old dead, man in hospital and vehicle recovered after crash into Don River: police
Toronto police say an 18-year-old man driving a vehicle that crashed into the Don River Saturday morning has died in hospital, hours after he was recovered from the water.
In a news release Saturday evening, police said the man, driving a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was headed west on Lake Shore Boulevard East, west of the Don Roadway.
Meanwhile, a 32-year-old man was headed east on Lake Shore Boulevard East, just east of Cherry Street in a 2023 Ford F150 truck.
Police said the driver of the Jeep lost control and struck the Ford, causing the Jeep to leave the roadway and enter the Don River.
Officers said they responded to the collision near Lakeshore Boulevard and Cherry Street at around 8:43 a.m.
The Jeep was extracted at 12:24 p.m. and no one was located inside, police said. At 1:12 p.m., they said a person, believed to be the driver of the submerged vehicle, was recovered from the water in the same area.
Toronto paramedics said they transported two men to hospital, one with minor injuries and another in life-threatening condition.
Police said this is the first fatal collision of 2024.
Toronto police and Toronto Fire are seen near Lakeshore Boulevard and Cherry Street extracting a vehicle that crashed into the Don River Saturday morning. (Alexis Raymon/CBC)
Earlier Saturday Toronto Fire confirmed there was a person inside the vehicle under water.
Fire spokesperson Deepak Chagger said what started as a rescue effort became a recovery operation led by police. He said no one was seen exiting the vehicle that was reported to have crashed into ice before going underwater.
Chagger said fire crews entered the water but were not able to rescue the vehicle occupant. Toronto Fire says one firefighter was assessed by paramedics at the scene.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and are asking local residents, businesses and drivers with security or dash camera footage of the crash to contact investigators.
