OTTAWA -- Police say two people are dead after they were struck by a transport truck while standing next to a stopped pickup on Highway 417 overnight.
The crash happened just before 1 a.m. Monday on the eastbound highway near Panmure Road, in west Ottawa.
Ontario Provincial Police said the tractor trailer collided with the back of a stopped pickup truck and utility trailer.
A man and woman were standing between the trailer and pickup truck in a live traffic lane. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured.
"It is a significant problem that people get out of their vehicle in a live lane of traffic to look around and see what they can do," said Brian Patterson, CEO of the Ontario Safety League, in an interview with CTV News Ottawa.
In a release Tuesday, OPP identified the victims as Mario Bernier, 54, and Jessica Derasp, 27, both of Ottawa.
Highway 417 eastbound was closed at Panmure Road for the investigation.
