Vehicle launches over snowbank on Ontario highway overpass, driver killed

Ontario Provincial Police say a person has died after their vehicle launched over a snow embankment on the Highway 7 overpass in Kitchener.

According to OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, the motorist lost control of their vehicle on Monday on the flyover ramp that goes over Highway 7/8.

“(The) driver lost control, ended up ramping up over the shoulder, over the embankment and down on the highway below,” Schmidt said on a post on X.

The driver, who Schmidt told Global News was a 36-year-old woman from Waterloo, Ont., was pronounced dead at the scene.

The ramp has been closed as police investigate.

Schmidt said it was actually the second vehicle to drive over the embankment on Monday. Schmidt told Global News it was a cab driver whose vehicle went over the snowbank at about 2 a.m., but he added the driver of that vehicle was not injured.

“Plows are coming through, clearing the highways, pushing that snow off to the side. In this case, they can’t push it over the wall because it would go onto the highway below,” he said. “That snow will have to be removed but it will take some time … Some vehicles could potentially ramp up over that snowbank. It’s hard enough for the vehicle to slide up over, right over a concrete wall and then over and down to the ground below.”

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He reminded drivers travelling on overpasses or highways after a snowfall to remember it’s “wet, it’s slippery,” and can be dangerous. He added these conditions on overpasses can make it even more “treacherous” with ice and snow buildup.

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