Suspected impaired driver caused two crashes within minutes in Oshawa, police claim

A man believed to have been impaired caused two car crashes in Oshawa within minutes of each other yesterday, Durham Police claim.

A white Dodge Ram pickup truck was heading east on Bloor Street around 7:30 p.m. on July 25. Near Harmony Road, it sideswiped a Mazda SUV headed the same way.

However, the truck driver did not stop and fled the scene, continuing east on Bloor Street. A short distance away, he tried to pull a U-turn to head west on Bloor Street but he struck a second SUV in the attempt.

The driver of the second SUV suffered minor injuries and needed treatment at the local hospital. When police arrived they concluded the truck driver seemed impaired and arrested him at the scene.

Andrew Hall, 32 of Barrie, is charged with impaired driving and failure to remain at the scene of a crash.

The crashes caused a major traffic snarl on one of the city’s busiest roads. Traffic was “extremely heavy” police noted as they warned motorists to avoid the area.

Anyone with information or footage of the crashes can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 2169 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).