Fatal accident closes County Road 17 for several hours

A 76-year-old female has died in hospital following a two-car accident that forced the closure of County Road 17 for several hours Wednesday night.

Ontario Provincial Police officers were called to the scene about 500 metres west of the Highway 34 overpass, between Hawkesbury and L'Orignal, on Wednesday, January 11 at 3:15 p.m.

According to police, the initial investigation suggests that a 2003 Kia Rio, driven by a 33-year-old female from Hawkesbury, was traveling eastbound on County Road 17 when the driver lost control of her vehicle and crossed into the westbound lane.

Her vehicle then collided with a westbound 2000 Ford Windstar, driven by 76-year-old Thérèse Laframboise of Plantagenet.

Both drivers were transported to the Hawkesbury General Hospital. The driver of the Kia was treated and released, though Laframboise succumbed to her injuries during the evening.

The road was closed for several hours while technical traffic collision investigators surveyed the scene. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.