两赌场旅巴80人送院
【明报专讯】昨天夹□强风的漫天风雪令大多区400号公路接近Bradford镇的路段出现看不见路面、能见度近乎零的恶劣驶驾状况，酿成两宗交通意外，至少涉及75车连环相撞。省警表示伤者中有一人有生命危险。另一名伤者伤况严重。
涉及连环撞车的，至少有2部为八达旅行社派出、接送乘客往华玛赌场(Casino Rama)的旅游巴士。当时2部巴士上大约有70至80人。旅行社发言人表示，虽然旅游车上没有人在意外中受伤，但为了安全起见，悉数人等已被送往新市(Newmarket)一间医院检查。
“八达”今暂停赌场巴士服务
八达旅行社销售经理招汶芷向本报表示，旅行社将派出车辆，前往医院接载送院的乘客返家。因今天天气持续恶劣，旅行社故决定取消往赌场的巴士服务，待明天天气回复稳定，服务才恢复正常。而该旅行社部分地区的赌场巴士服务每天可达8班次。
招汶芷表示，由于有关同事已前往新市医院，手提电话未能接通，故无法与同事取得联络，了解今次意外的进一步资料。但按她所得的初步资料显示，2部涉及交通意外中的2部旅游巴士上有约有70至80人左右，而他们在意外中均没有受伤。
除了八达旅行社外，另一间华人旅行社大班渡假团亦有提供赌场巴士服务。本报致电旅行社分店查询，该店一名职员表示，亦接到市民来电了解情况。而他们亦曾去电赌场，但据赌场职员称，意外中并无涉及该公司的旅游巴士。
安省省警表示，两宗连环相撞的交通意外发生在昨天正午时分，地点在400号公路近89号公路，两宗意外的成因都与当时漫天风雪，能见度近乎零的天气状况有关。在南行和北行线同时发生的两宗交通意外，怀疑与一辆大型货柜车在北行线失控横架在路面上有关，意外发生后有多名伤者需要送往就近医院接受治理。受到两宗交通意外影响，肇事的400号公路南、北行线路面都需要紧急关闭，路面到今朝清晨才会重开。
省警警员斯图尔德(Sally Stewart)指出，意外中有一名于南行线上的乘客伤况严重，有生命危险，另外一名伤者在北行线上伤况严重，但未有生命危险。
意外现场包括大型货柜车、巴士、校巴和汽车撞成一团，至少有75部车辆涉及这两宗车祸。
另外，受两宗交通意外的影响，400号公路于88号公路的东、西线出口，亦需要关闭。
荷顿区车祸1死3伤
另外，在多市西北面的荷顿区在昨天的风雪中发生了一宗夺命交通意外，一名男子在意外中伤重不治，涉及意外的另外3人则需要送院接受治理。
安省省警警长伍利(Cam Woolley)指出，在昨天的漫天风雪下，省警整天都接获在401号公路北面由司机发出的求救电话。
他续说，夹着强劲的风势，省警接获数百宗交通意外的报告。他强调尽管昨天有间断的阳光，但是在强风下司机们偶一不慎在快速转线时便容易会发生意外，这还要加上强劲风雪下能见度接近零的天气状况，司机稍为分神便会发生意外。
他提醒司机千万不要对恶劣天气掉以轻心，他并强调最坏的情况还未有过去，另一股恶劣的天气现正从西面进入南安省。
省警昨天已发出特别警报，呼吁安省南部和中部的司机要打醒精神，提防恶劣的天气状况。在恶劣的天气状况下，司机驾驶时除了要留意降雪，还要提防时速达90公里的强劲西北风。
省警提醒司机在强风下，司机即使手紧握住方向盘，汽车仍是有机会被吹离行车线。司机如一定要行车，汽车除了装满气油外，还要减慢行车速度，和带备额外的冬季衣服在车尾箱内，以备不要之需。
司机如在公路上发生意外，可以用手电按*677向省警求救。
能见度转眼大变 司机措手不及.400公路75车连环相撞
星报通讯社电/周一的暴风雪以100公里时速扫掠温莎至魁省一带，使得大多伦多地区不时出现白茫茫不辨东西景象，更导致75辆车连环相撞而封闭400號高速公路。 省警警长胡利指出，下午2时左右的强风吹雪令房车、牵引式货车及巴士在接近布拉福德(Bradford)的400號公路北行线撞成一堆，一辆巴士后部被撞起火，省警曾用棍棒破窗协助乘客脱离险境，幸好火势受控，但司机受重伤。
最严重的情况是载运丙烷的槽车撞向牵引式货车后，驾驶室夹在货车下方以致司机被困数小时之久，有致有性命危险。
400公路关闭
400號公路南行线在同一时间也发生一连串小车祸而关闭2至3小时，许多陌生人挤满同1辆车，以便节省汽油取暖，救护人员曾用空校车载轻伤者到医院。
大车祸之前3小时，靠近Mapleview Dr.的更北方400高速公路上也有50辆左右货车及房车相撞。胡利说，路面及能见度情况可说是眨眼即变，令人措手不及，大多伦多地区的省道上大概有数以百计车祸。
能见度不良导致德芙林郡道路在中午时分全部关闭，闪高郡虽未关闭道路，但警告驾驶人提防吹雪。
加拿大环境部指出，大部分南安省地区的风速在下午4时30分减弱到40至50公里，阵风时速为60公里。下午的能见度仍然不佳，但晚间会逐渐改善。胡利提醒大眾，能见度低到零的情况时，最安全的方式是停车。
Highway to reopen after pileup chaos near Barrie
Blowing snow caused shutdown of major highways across southern Ontario
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 11:12 AM ET
CBC News
Ontario Provincial Police expect Highway 400 to reopen in time for the morning rush hour Tuesday morning, after a harsh dose of winter weather the previous day caused pileups involving more than 75 vehicles.
Sgt. Lorne Thompson of the OPP told CBC Newsworld that hazardous materials crews had cleaned up propane spilled on the road by a wrecked tanker and were in the process of repairing the centre median.
“They’ve done quite a miraculous job with the drifting snow and they’ve been able to … get the job done within the short timeframe,” he said. “[They] worked hard throughout the night and roads are looking a lot better than they were yesterday.”
Highway 400 GO bus services were disrupted on Tuesday, the website of the interregional public transit system said as of 7:20 a.m. Some passengers who take buses from Barrie to King City will be dropped off at the Bradford GO station instead of King City, the website said.
GO was also reporting bus delays arriving and departing Toronto’s Union Station on Tuesday, as the city’s Gardiner Expressway remained closed as a precaution due to falling ice from the CN Tower.
On Monday afternoon, pileups closed Highway 400 south of Barrie, as blowing snow and powerful wind gusts caused accidents across southern Ontario.
OPP Const. Sally Stewart said police were aware of at least one life-threatening injury and several serious injuries, but no fatalities.
“We have a lot of drifting snow and high winds today,” Stewart said. “It makes [the snow] very loose and therefore the wind can pick it up and throw it around, which causes complete whiteouts.”
Police closed ramps onto the 400 in the area of the pileups as emergency crews worked to free people from the wreckage.
The northbound pileup happened near Highway 88. The southbound pileup was farther north, near Highway 89.
‘Sometimes we give tips about winter driving but when there’s zero visibility, there really isn’t a safe way to drive.’— OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley
The northbound accident, involving more than 30 cars, three trucks and two coach buses, was the most serious, according to CBC reporter Steven D’Souza. A truck driver and a van driver were taken to hospital with critical injuries. At least 35 others are in hospital with minor injuries.
Sections of Highway 400 near the accident scene are expected to remain closed until Tuesday morning.
Weather cancels Via Rail service
Extreme weather forced Via Rail to cancel its train service in parts of Southwestern Ontario.
Trains between Kitchener and London were affected, with service to Brampton, Georgetown, Guelph, Kitchener, Stratford and St. Marys cancelled Monday night.
Service will not be provided to St. Marys or Stratford Tuesday morning.
While the weather disrupted trains, it also caused hundreds of minor accidents as snow and winds gusting up to 100 km/h pummelled the southern Ontario, hitting areas along Lake Huron and Georgian Bay the hardest.
Like ‘driving in milk’
More than a dozen major highways across southern Ontario were closed because of the blowing snow, with visibility down to half a kilometre in some spots.
OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley suggested motorists avoid driving west of Highway 400, saying conditions are fluctuating between sunshine and whiteouts that make it feel like they’re “driving in milk.”
“Sometimes we give tips about winter driving but when there’s zero visibility, there really isn’t a safe way to drive,” Woolley said.
The severe weather closed all county roads in Dufferin County, about 80 kilometres northwest of Toronto.
Police asked drivers not to skirt blocked highways by taking back roads, warning there is little chance of being found if something happens on the less-travelled routes.
“It’s really a dangerous situation starting to build and it’s getting worse,” Woolley said.
Drivers can consult the Ontario Ministry of Transportation website for updates on road conditions and road closures. Via Rail updates are posted on the Via site.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/03/05/storm-ontario.html
