TORONTO — An 18-year-old man pulled from an ice-covered stretch of Toronto's waterfront hours after his vehicle plunged into the depths died in hospital shortly after being rescued, city police said Saturday.
Investigators offered few details about the victim, the dramatic crash that ultimately killed him or the multiple attempts to bring him to safety amid frigid conditions that hovered in and around the -10 C mark throughout the day.
But police said the ordeal began just before 8:45 a.m. on Saturday when they received reports a Jeep driven by the teen collided with a Ford pickup truck on Lake Shore Boulevard near Cherry Street. They said the Jeep lost control, plunged through the ice and was stuck under water in the Don River, which is connected to Lake Ontario through the nearby Keating channel.
It was -15 C at the time of the crash, feeling more like -23 with the wind chill.
First responders spotted one person in the water when they arrived at the scene, but they were unable to rescue him, said Capt. Deepak Chagger with Toronto Fire Services. He offered no information on what happened to the person after that.
It took emergency crews hours to haul the vehicle out of the ice-covered channel, police said, noting officers and tow truck operators extracted it from the water shortly before 12:30 p.m.
Toronto Police Const. Laura Brabant said no one was found inside the vehicle at the time. Shortly after 1 p.m., however, she said a "person believed to be the driver" of the vehicle was found in the same area.
"Lifesaving efforts were made by medics on scene and the person has been transported to hospital," Brabant said in an emailed statement that provided no other details.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., however, police issued a statement saying the man had died in hospital of unspecified injuries. They continue to investigate the crash and are asking anyone with information on the case to come forward.
The 32-year-old driver of the pickup was sent to hospital in non-life-threatening condition, police said. Chagger noted a firefighter was also treated at the scene.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2024.
The Canadian Press
