A father and son on their way to a ski competition were among three people killed Wednesday in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 7 along Silver Lake, just west of Perth, Ont.
Emergency crews were called at 7:25 a.m. ET to the crash scene between Maberly and Sharbot Lake, Sgt. Kristine Rae of the Ontario Provincial Police said.
Police said a westbound vehicle carrying four people lost control, crossed the centre line of the highway and was struck by an eastbound van occupied only by the driver.
John David Duffy, 47, and his son Thomas, 16, both from the Ottawa neighbourhood of Orleans, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Also pronounced dead at the scene was the driver of the eastbound vehicle, Karen Thompson, 39, of Mountain Grove, Ont., a community about 75 kilometres north of Kingston.
The elder Duffy, who went by David, was the president of Fortune Freestyle, a local ski club whose members train at Camp Fortune; his son was also an elite skier, winning an Ottawa Sports Award in 2011 for freestyle skiing.
Thomas Duffy was also a Grade 10 student at Gisèle-Lalonde high school.
Colleagues described David Duffy as passionate about his sport and heavily involved in the skiing community.
Two other passengers in the westbound van, including a child, were taken to hospital in Perth and then Ottawa with serious injuries.
The front end of one van was crumpled, and baggage and items from the vehicle were strewn across the highway, including several unopened beer cans. Police are investigating to see whether road conditions or alcohol played a role in the crash.
Investigators from Lanark County OPP arrived around 8 a.m. and continue to assess the site. Highway 7 was closed in both directions from Zealand Road to County Road 36; it was reopened at about 2:30 p.m.
Silver Lake is about 20 kilometres west of Perth in Tay Valley Township, about 120 km southwest of Ottawa.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Lanark OPP at 613-267-2626.
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