By: Joe Fantauzzi, Staff Writer

At about 11:50 p.m., a Toronto man driving a Honda Civic headed south on Hwy. 404 lost control of the car, which crossed two lanes of traffic and continued through the grassy median, according to Ontario Provincial Police.

After heading up an embankment and slamming into a steel guard rail, the Civic flipped end over end, crossed the ramp from Hwy. 407 to Hwy. 404 and landed on its roof in the ditch.

“It was like a NASCAR-type of roll,” OPP Const. Dave Woodford said, adding the vehicle looked like it had been through a crushing machine.

“Some of the frame has just peeled off.”

A 22-year-old Florida woman, who was a passenger in the Civic, was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital in critical condition.

There is a possibility the woman will suffer paralysis, Const. Woodford said.

The driver was taken to Markham Stouffville Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and then discharged. He is charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm and was released on strict conditions, Const. Woodford said.

Investigators at the OPP’s Toronto detachment are also examining a Honda Accord, which is believed to have also been headed south on Hwy. 404 at the time of the crash. Police know the Accord was involved, but were still probing the extent to which it was, Const. Woodford said.

Last night, four drivers — three on Hwy. 407 and one on Hwy. 400 — had their licences suspended and vehicles impounded for a week, after being caught driving at extremely high speeds, according to the OPP. One vehicle, spotted in the Hwy. 400 and Langstaff Road area of Vaughan, was clocked in excess of 150 km/h, Const. Woodford said.

If you have any information about the crash on Hwy. 404, call the OPP’s Aurora detachment at 905-841-5777.