Driver killed in 2-vehicle crash on Hwy. 17 in Ottawa Valley

Highway 17 after a fatal two-vehicle crash in the Ottawa Valley on Jan. 14, 2025. (Eganville Leader/Provided)

A 22-year-old driver is dead after their vehicle caught fire in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 17 in the Ottawa Valley.

Emergency crews responded to the crash involving a minivan and a tractor-trailer on Highway 17, between Mountain Road and Sutherland Road, at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday. The crash occurred on the highway between Cobden and Pembroke.

Ontario Provincial Police say the investigation shows the van travelling in the westbound direction crossed into the path of the eastbound tractor-trailer.

“As a result of the collision, the passenger vehicle caught fire,” the OPP said.

The driver of the van, a 22-year-old from North Algona-Wilberforce Township, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not seriously injured, according to police.

Police continue to investigate the collision in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.

Highway 17 was closed between Cobden and Pembroke for several hours, but reopened at 2:45 p.m.