DRYDEN - The Ontario Provincial Police have identified the victim of a fatal collision involving a pickup truck and transport on Highway 17 near Dryden Thursday morning.
The driver of the pickup truck, 68-year-old Gary Vadnais of Minnesota was pronounced dead at the scene and the passenger, 61-year-old Julie Vadnais, also of Minnesota, was airlifted to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre with life threatening injuries.
According to the OPP, at approximately 10:45 a.m. the westbound pickup truck travelling down Highway 17 near Southworth Township lost control and collided with an eastbound tractor trailer unit. No other injuries were reported as a result of the collision.
Highway 17 was closed for much of the day and partially reopened to one lane of traffic at 6:45 p.m. and fully reopened just after 11 p.m.