Airbag out, Pot in
A MISSISSAUGA man faces drug possession charges after he and his passenger miraculously survived a serious collision with a tractor-trailer on Hwy. 401 in the west end of the city.
OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said an Eagle Talon was travelling on the 401 at "high speed" in the westbound collector lanes at Islington Ave. just after 6 a.m. when it went out of control and became trapped under the trailer of a truck.
"It went underneath the wheels of a tractor-trailer, rolled and was crushed," Woolley said last night. "It was a bad crash and we expected to find life-threatening injuries."
However, Woolley said the 22-year-old driver and his passenger somehow managed to escape serious injury, a fact that was especially amazing considering the passenger-side airbag had allegedly been replaced with bags of pot.
OPP investigators noticed the airbag had not deployed and upon closer inspection, allegedly found the space stuffed with 8 grams of marijuana in small bags, Woolley explained.
The pair's identities were not immediately available, but Woolley said they were on their way back to Mississauga after spending the long weekend in Wasaga Beach.
The highway was closed for three hours as rescue workers used the jaws of life to extricate the driver and his passenger.
The driver was charged with careless driving and possession of drugs. Those charges were among the more than 1,300 laid by OPP officers over the Victoria Day weekend during Operation Fine Example.
Topping the list of motorists who "just don't get the message" was a Brampton man driving a Mazda 3.
Woolley said the 52-year-old, caught going 127 km/h on the 401 near Cambridge, got back on the highway and immediately resumed speeding, earning yet another ticket.
"In 11 minutes and two kilometres, he lost seven points and $350," Woolley said.
The OPP also took 175 unsafe vehicles off the road during the holiday-weekend blitz. And of the more than 400 child safety seats inspected, 85% were either improperly installed or had straps that were not tight enough.
"But that's an improvement over past years, and many of the problems were less serious than usual," Woolley said.
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Toron...4/1053326.html
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