Two truck drivers are facing charges in connection with the death of a couple after a crash in King Township Saturday afternoon.

At about 2:05 p.m., a dump truck headed south on Hwy. 400 near King Road veered out of control due to a tire blow out.

After the truck hit a concrete barrier, the truck’s tailgate became loose, flying toward northbound traffic and crashed through the windshield of a Chevrolet Avalanche, according to the Ontario Provincial Police.

Two Toronto residents, a man and woman, both 75, were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names will not be released until their family is notified, the OPP said.

Police arrested and charged a dump truck driver with two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. Officers determined a second dump truck was linked to the incident and have charged that driver with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

They are scheduled to appear in a Newmarket courtroom Monday.

The highway was closed in the area for hours while police investigated.

Police have extended thanks to witnesses who came forward to help with their investigation, as well as those who stopped to help at the scene.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 8:20 am and is filed under Trucks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.