Suspected medical episode flips car in four-vehicle Peace Bridge crash
August 6, 2026 at 4:26 AM
A suspected medical episode triggered a four-vehicle crash that flipped one car onto its roof at the Peace Bridge Monday afternoon and sent two people to hospital with minor injuries.
Niagara Regional Police responded around 1 p.m. to the crash at the Fort Erie plaza, where vehicles collided while approaching the Canada Border Services Agency inspection lanes. First responders closed the north side of the plaza, but the crossing stayed open and Canada-bound waits peaked at 26 minutes.
Constable Jessica Martin of the Niagara Regional Police Service told Fort Erie Radio that investigators suspect a medical episode by one of the drivers caused the collision. Both occupants went to a local hospital as a precaution for minor injuries, according to Martin.
Thomas A. Boyle, chief executive officer of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, told Fort Erie Radio the crash closed the north side of the inspection plaza when first responders arrived. Portions of the north side reopened around 3 p.m. to handle traffic volumes.
The authority did not issue advisories because the crash was contained and the disruption minimal, Boyle told Fort Erie Radio. Wait times for all crossings into Canada stayed posted along the highway network through the regional traffic centre.
The 26-minute peak wait at the Peace Bridge sat close to the 18 minutes recorded at the Rainbow Bridge and 11 minutes at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, and the authority diverted no traffic to the other crossings. Neither the bridge nor any plaza building sustained significant damage.
The authority’s account contradicts online reports that circulated after the crash. One article posted Tuesday described a major collision that brought Canada-bound traffic to a near standstill for hours, with emergency crews on scene late into the day. The authority’s own records show traffic continued flowing across the bridge throughout the afternoon.
“Fortunately, it is not common for us to have to respond to false reporting,” said Boyle.
He wrote that the authority’s response to inaccurate reports depends on the content, the source and the medium.
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Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
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