A 55-year-old Alliston woman underwent two surgeries and is in critical condition in a Toronto hospital after suffering serious injuries in a two-vehicle crash east of Tottenham Sunday morning.
Anne Ritchie suffered a broken pelvis, and a punctured lung and spleen, among other injuries, when the 2005 Toyota she was driving collided with a van at the intersection of the 3rd Line and 10th Sideroad at about 11:10 a.m.
According to friends and relatives, her condition is very serious, and is in the intensive care unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Doctors at have been unable to locate the source of internal bleeding.
Ritchie was driving west on the 3rd Line of New Tecumseth and went through the intersection. Police say Ritchie could not see the stop sign because it had been twisted and bent over. It was parallel with the ground, and not visible to traffic. The northbound GMC Safari struck the driver-side door of Ritchie's car, sending it into the ditch.
New Tecumseth firefighters had to extricate Ritchie from her severely damaged car before she was transported to Stevenson Memorial Hospital. She was later airlifted to Sunnybrook.
The van was carrying a Beeton family of seven, including five children between the ages of six and 15. Two of them, ages 10 and 12, were taken to SMH and treated for injuries before being released. A 40-year-old man was driving the van, and a 44-year-old woman was the other passenger.
Police say it is unlikely the damage to the stop sign was done by a previous collision, or a defect in the sign, leaving vandalism as a likely suspect.
Nottawasaga OPP Detachment Commander Dave Farrar said police are taking the vandalism very seriously. He said incidents like it are rare, and this is the first one he has seen during his two-and-a-half year stint as Nottawasaga OPP detachment commander. No other traffic signs in the area were damaged, although a green emergency number sign was vandalized as well.
"Due to the seriousness, I have the Crime Unit and Identification Unit activated to ensure a successful investigation. I am confident that we will identify the persons responsible," he said.
Anyone who sees a sign that is vandalized, or traffic lights that are out or obscured should call the OPP and report the location to the highway traffic division.
Ritchie is a former Beeton librarian, and currently works as a personal support worker for Tottenham artist Alice Forestell.
Police are asking for anyone with information on who is responsible for the damage to the stop sign at the intersection to contact the Nottawasaga Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police at 905 729-4004 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
