An accident on Highway 40 East in Montreal, in the Côte-Vertu sector, occurred on the morning of January 6, 2025 and led to a temporary closure of traffic. At the end of the afternoon, the situation had still not been restored, promising a particularly chaotic rush hour for motorists.
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According to information from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), around 9:30 a.m. this Monday, emergency services were contacted regarding a vehicle with a single occupant which was traveling in the wrong direction on the highway, i.e. westbound in the east lane. The driver, a man in his thirties, allegedly collided with a semi-trailer and another vehicle.
“The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead on site. It could be a voluntary gesture,” mentioned Frédéric Deshaies, spokesperson for the SQ, to Narcity Québec.
As for the driver of the heavy vehicle, a man in his sixties, he did not suffer any injuries. SQ collision investigation specialists went to the scene to clarify the causes and circumstances of this event.
Highway 40 was closed to traffic near the Côte-Vertu roundabout for a large part of the day, to allow the intervention of emergency services, cleaning of the roadway and towing of damaged vehicles.
In the afternoon, only one lane was open to traffic, causing a huge traffic jam in the area. Finally, it was around 3:40 p.m. that the complete reopening of the highway was announced.
