One second from death on the 401

Car and transport truck on 401 after accident on January 25. Photo Mike Uher

By Greg Holden

One second. That is what separated three men from death Saturday on the 401.

John Wright has driven tow-truck for over 20 years in Chatham-Kent. Prior to that he was a firefighter and has seen death first-hand on our highways. On Saturday, just before 9 a.m., Wright, a paramedic from Windsor and an OPP officer jumped out of the way of an out of control tractor-trailer leaving only a second to spare. “It was worse than a movie”, Wright told the CKReview, “All three of us leapt over the guard rail, the police officer was the closest to the truck. One more second and that would have been it.”

According to Wright the paramedic was on his way to work in Windsor when his car broke down, the car was driven to the shoulder of the 401 and everything was done properly. “The guy’s car quit and the OPP did everything right. He had flares out, the cruiser’s roof light was on, they were off the road and he had his vest on. It should have never happened.”

OPP constable Janine Belanger said, “The impact from the tractor-trailer caused the police vehicle to strike the rear of a Pontiac vehicle that was broken down ahead of the police vehicle, which then caused the Pontiac vehicle to strike the rear of a tow truck at the scene.”

The tow truck went 150 feet before it stopped in Wrights estimation. “The driver didn’t even ask anyone if they were hurt. He took ten minutes to even get out of the truck”, said Wright.

The male driver of the tractor-trailer, 42-year-old Swaran Sarwara, from Etobicoke, has been charged with careless driving and failing to yield for emergency vehicles.

Sarwara is to appear in a Chatham court on February 26.