Man struck and killed during Highway 7 tow operation west of Perth

A fatal collision closed Highway 7 west of Perth overnight after a man was struck by a vehicle shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7.

OPP say their officers, along with firefighters and paramedics, responded to the collision, which occurred on the section of Highway 7 between Highway 511 and Glen Tay Road.

It began when a minivan left the road and became stuck in the snow in the ditch. According to police, a flatbed tow truck was preparing to pull the vehicle out when an eastbound car struck both the minivan and the tow truck. The van’s driver, who had been standing near his vehicle, was also struck.

Police did not name the man, but identified him as a 44-year-old resident of Ottawa. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.

The tow truck operator and the six people in the car were not hurt in the collision.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, with assistance from members of the OPP East Region Traffic Incident Management Enforcement (TIME) team, including a Collision Reconstructionist and Technical Collision Investigators.

Highway 7 remained closed overnight, and fully re-opened around 9:40 a.m., according to social media posts from police.

Anyone who witnessed the crash, or has information or potentially relevant dashcam video, should contact Lanark OPP at 1-888-310-1122 and refer to incident E260168093.