The Ontario Provincial Police have been busy handling collisions on a snowy Friday.
Police in Essex County report they have investigated at least 19 crashes on Hwy. 401 since 6am.
OPP spokesperson Constable Jim Root says many of those collisions were caused by people driving too fast for the weather conditions.
An OPP officer narrowly escaped serious injury after almost being hit by a tractor trailer at around 12:30pm, in the eastbound lanes of the 401, at the Puce Rd exit in Lakeshore.
The officer's cruiser was standing by a vehicle that was awaiting a tow when an empty car hauler left the travel lanes and narrowly missed hitting the vehicle and cruiser. The hauler stopped after striking a light standard.
Both vehicles were removed from the scene, but one lane of eastbound Hwy. 401 and the Puce Rd off-ramp were closed for two hours.
There were no injuries.
With road conditions expected to remain snowy and slow throughout the weekend, motorists are reminded to drive slow and be ready to stop to avoid crashes.
