Four dead in horrific east Hamilton crash

Four people are dead after a speeding driver crashed a stolen car into a hydro pole outside Pizza Pizza at the Delta in East Hamilton early Saturday morning, killing three pedestrians and injuring a fourth.

The driver also died after the car burst into flame.

The crash happened about 10 minutes before the pizzeria was due to close at 2 a.m.

Moments earlier, two cleaners hired by the company had popped inside to assess the work ahead, store manager Jay Thakkar told The Spectator.

They came inside the restaurant to check what things needed to be cleaned and they said, We'll be back in five minutes. We have to take some equipment from the car.' And they went outside," Thakkar said.

Employees tried to contact the cleaners throughout the night" but could not reach them.

Last night I heard from Pizza Pizza that both of the cleaners are dead," Thakkar said on Sunday.

Thakkar said Pizza Pizza head office contracted the cleaners and as a result, he did not know their names or what company they worked for.

I don't know the names yet," he said. I'm trying to find out. I called Hamilton Police many times, but they said they could not identify the victims."

Police are working to notify next of kin, media relations officer Indy Bharaj told reporters at a press conference near the crash site Saturday afternoon.

Autopsies were scheduled for Monday.

Bharaj said the male driver of a stolen 2004 Toyota Prius was speeding westbound on Main Street East toward King Street East when he lost control and jumped the curb, smashing into the hydro pole.

He was killed in the crash along with the three pedestrians. Flying debris struck a fourth passerby.

Bharaj said the car was stolen in Hamilton shortly before" the crash. Police were not in pursuit, he added.

Impairment hasn't been ruled out," Bharaj said.

Lindsay Newton was at home on Belmont Avenue, near the crash site, when she heard a noise like metal clanging together" and came outside to see what had happened.

I heard people screaming, then I saw the fire," Newton said. The car on fire, the building on fire."

Adam Giess called police after hearing the collision and seeing the toppled hydro pole and crumpled car.

I hear a loud bang and my lights flickered," said Giess, who lives nearby.

I didn't see anyone around so I figured I should call the police. It wasn't until I was on the phone that I heard people calling out fire.'"

When he called 911, Giess presumed only that the driver needed help.

I had no idea there were three other people," he said.

Thakkar spent a few hours at the pizzeria the day after the crash and checked in with the two employees who were working when it happened.

What they said to me is there was one person that came in the store. He was bleeding from his nose and he asked to call 911. He said there was a big accident outside," Thakkar said.

The intersection of King Street East and Main Street East was closed for most of Saturday morning. By noon, two parked vehicles that were struck by debris had been removed from the scene, but a downed light post, rubble and power lines remained strewn across the sidewalk.

Crews worked to clean up the scene Saturday afternoon as police continued their investigation, by then in the hands of the collision reconstruction unit.

Fire and smoke damage can still be seen on the side of the building.

The downed hydro pole was quickly replaced and became the site of an impromptu memorial to the crash victims, with half a dozen bouquets of flowers and several cards taped around the pole by Sunday afternoon.

About a dozen mourners stood near the crash site on Sunday, some with their arms around each other. None agreed to an interview.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

A senseless and tragic loss of life," Eisenberger said on social media Saturday evening. We pray for the loved ones who are getting horrific news today."

For Thakkar, the crash brought to mind an incident some years ago at that same intersection, when a speeding driver totalled a Pizza Pizza employee's car that was parked on the street.

Luckily, no one was in the car," Thakkar said. He parked his car, came into the store and heard the noise."

Seven people have been killed on city roads so far this year.

- With files from Barry Gray

J.P. Antonacci's reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com

Jeremy Kemeny is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach him via email: jkemeny@thespec.com