Charges laid following crash on Highway 401

File photo of an Essex County OPP vehicle, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)

Charges have be laid following a crash on Highway 401 in Essex County that led to a second fatal crash.

A 20-year-old man from Lakeshore has been charged with operation while impaired, failure or refusal to comply with demand, operation while prohibited, failure to stop after accident, dangerous operation and driving while under suspension.

Around 10:20 a.m. on Friday, OPP responded to a report of a multi-vehicle crash in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 between Gracey Side Road and Comber Side Road in Lakeshore.

As officers arrived on scene witnesses had reported two people from one of the involved vehicles had fled the scene on foot. Officers found and arrested two people on Lakeshore Road 305.

According to police, one vehicle was operating in an erratic manner and struck several other vehicles in the westbound lanes.

During the investigation, due to a traffic slowdown, another collision took place between two tractor trailers and a pickup truck, according to OPP.

The driver of a tractor-trailer was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Charges have not been laid as a result of the second crash.

In a statement to CTV News, OPP said "The fatal collision was indirectly a result of first collision because of the dangerous driving by the accused. However, with the time in between the two collisions as well as the fact it still remains the responsibility of other drivers to ensure that they maintain control of their vehicles on the highway. The fatal collision remains under investigation, to determine the cause."