Multi-vehicle crash snarls QEW traffic in Mississauga

A collision involving as many as 20 vehicles closed the westbound QEWthis morning as southern Ontario was hit with its first big winter storm of the season.

The westbound lanesbetween the Erin Mills Parkway and Winston Churchill Boulevard in Mississauga were closed as police, paramedics and tow trucks converged on the scene of the accident, which happened just before noon local time.

No serious injuries have been reported. No one was taken to hospital, though some people were treated on the scene for minor neck and back injuries.

I was trapped in my car for a little while because I was sandwiched between the guardrail and a truck It was kind of scary.- Driver

Drivers, passengers and dozens of mangled cars weretaken to a parking lotsouth of the highway, which served as a makeshift reporting centre. City buses arrived to keep people warm while they filled out paperwork.

"It was chaos," said one driver."I was trapped in my car for a little while because I was sandwiched between the guardrail and a truck It was kind of scary."

At least one tractor trailer was involved in the crash. The driver told CBC News he saw an accident ahead of him on the road andslammed on the brakes, causing the truck to jack-knife.

The westbound QEW lanes were closed through the morning but re-opened by early afternoon. The eastbound lanes remained open.

A police spokesman couldn't give an exact cause of the collision but said drivers were likely not driving in line with weather conditions. Snow is falling and winter storm warnings are in effect for much of the Golden Horseshoe.