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Subscribe to RSSHAMPSTEAD, Ontario -- Ten migrant farm workers from Peru were killed when a flat bed hit a passenger van in rural Canada on Monday afternoon, police and the workers' employer said. The truck driver also was killed.
Three other passengers were critically injured, The Globe and Mail reported.
The crash, the deadliest in Ontario since 1999, will leave at least 10 families in another country without a breadwinner, according to the Globe and Mail.
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Police said one survivor was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, and two others were seriously injured.
"On behalf of 13 million Ontarians, I want to offer our deepest condolences to those who lost a loved one and to offer our most sincere prayers for those taken to hospital," Premier Dalton McGuinty said in a statement.
No names of the victims have been released. Albert Burgers, who owns the farm where the workers were Monday before the crash, said some had been with his crew for more than 10 years.
Police told the CEO of the truck company, Speedy Transport, that the van apparently went through a stop sign and was hit by the truck.
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The impact sent the van hurtling across a lawn before smashing into a house. The van's passenger side was nearly ripped off.
"I've been on the job for 28 years and I’ve never seen anything like it," Inspector Steve Porter told the newspaper as he stood near the scene after dark.
Msnbc.com staff and The Associated contributed to this report.
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It would be helpful if our migrant workers could speak the language and read road signs.
Yeah and why do states offer a drivers test in any language but English when all the signs are English. It's like wiping before you poo it makes no sense! Or Why do they put braille in a movie theatre I never understood that either...
The migrant workers were passengers and not driving. "The driver of the truck worked for Speedy Transport, a Brampton-based trucking company" There is no reference as to her/his origin.
A little compassion for the ten people who died trying to make a living for their families back home would be nice.
Lisa = troll
Well, the driver went through a stop sign and put many lives at risk. Whether he could read it or not, it was neglegence and put many lives at risk.
@lisa - Would be nice if Canadians could plow their own dirt. Somehow I doubt these migrants made it driving 10,000 miles without being able to read a road sign.
lisa I WAS going to pick on you that it is Canada and FRENCH is as much the language as English.. French and other Latin based languages are much alike... But now that we know they ran a stop sign... the STOP vs ALTO might be different but the physical sign is universal even without the words. Guess it was a larger van if there were at least 13 people in it.
What exactly do migrant farm workers do in Ontario in February?
Doing jobs Canadians won't?
Polar bear insemination.
Reading the article it says nothing about anybody not being able to "speak the language and read road signs". English-speaking Americans run stop signs and kill people everyday (drinking and driving, texting, etc.). Don't be so quick to judge.
Well, there are 10 people dead. That is not being judgemental. It's facts.
Saying it was because they couldn't
Seems kind of judgmental to me!
Hey, I know lots of people that are out of work that do anything...give it a rest with "doing jobs that Canadians/Americans won't do". Don't be so quick to judge.
Sad story anyway you look at it.
You are very smart. 10 people dead means not being able to "speak the language and read road signs"? Hold your opinions and try some compassion. Negligence?Sure thing. many english-speaking and non english-speaking people are negligent every day putting peoples lives at risk. Before stating negligence, you brought discrimination into it. That's enough of this thread.
"Rural Canada"? really? Not very informative. Is that near Vancouver or Newfoundland? Good thing you mentioned the premier of Ontario, that narrows it down. A bit. If the Globe & Mail link didn't work for you, know that it was in Soutwest Ontario, that bit between Buffalo and Detroit, and not far from the town of Stratford. BTW most road signs in Canada are the universal symbol ones, and farmers, particularly with livestock, don't "take the winter off". Please use the brain God gave you.
Really, it said
Please use the brain God gave you.
American education??
SPEEDY TRANSPORT! I get its a joke,RIGHT! I think stop signs are pretty universal. You know RED! Hexagonal! Stop! Halt!
Looks like at least one family in Ontario lost a breadwinner also,wonder why they didn't think to mention that?
Condolences and prayers go to the victims' families and friends.
How fast (the speed) did they drive at the time of the impact?