A woman is dead and a man is facing charges after a crash on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto early Thursday.
The two-vehicle collision happened just after 2 a.m. in a construction zone in the eastbound lanes near the exit for Jameson Avenue, according to Toronto police Staff Sgt. Tony Macias.
An Audi sedan, travelling at a “high rate of speed” collided with the rear end of a KIA sedan, Toronto police said in a release.
A 40-year-old woman sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, where she died. A woman in her 20s from the same vehicle also went to hospital with serious injuries, Macias said, while a two-year-old child went to SickKids hospital for observation.
The driver of the other vehicle left the scene of the crash. They drove for a short distance before exiting and running on foot, Macias said. That person was eventually arrested by police, he added.
The suspect, a 48-year-old man, now faces five charges, including impaired operation of a vehicle causing death, dangerous operation causing death and failure to stop at an accident scene resulting in death, police said.
Investigators are seeking any information that may assist them, including any dash camera or surveillance footage from people in the area at the time. Anyone with information is asked to come forward.
Police believe the suspect may have been picked up by a ride-share or taxi in the Lakeshore Boulevard and Spadina Avenue area. Investigators are also seeking anyone who picked up a passenger there between 2:04 a.m. and 3:30 a.m.
A stretch of the eastbound Gardiner was closed for several hours overnight as police investigated. All lanes reopened shortly after 7 a.m.