Provincial Police say a 69-year-old Ohio woman was ejected from a tractor trailer and rushed to hospital after a crash with another truck on the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 Tuesday morning.

Chatham-Kent OPP say the woman was sleeping in the bunk of the transport, while someone else was driving. She was rushed to Chatham hospital and then transferred to London Health Sciences Centre with life-threatening injuries.

It happened near Orford Road around 5 a.m.

The truck was carrying oversized tires, which were dumped all over the highway. The other truck involved was transporting several vehicles.

The crash also impacted several transport trucks behind the site. Truck drivers had to wait until they could reverse and turn around so they could take the detour.

Drivers in both directions were being detoured at Orford Road, east of Chatham.

Westbound lanes were reopened at 12:50 p.m. Eastbound lanes were reopened just before 5 p.m.