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(Updated)

Three people are in Hamilton General Hospital tonight with life threatening injuries, following two separate collisions in Niagara region early this morning. They happened within an hour of each other.

The first collision happened in rural West Lincoln. The second, was a head on crash in the north end of St. Catharines. The impact of the two-car crash on Lakeshore Road at Niagara Street was so severe, it jolted nearby residents out of bed.

Frank Mc Lintock: “I saw the two cars over there. And there was a fire on one car. And they were carrying people out of the other car. Putting them on the grass.”

Frank Mc Lintock says the two drivers appeared to be in bad shape: “They didn’t look good. The woman was lying on the grass. Just saw her flopping back and collapsing.”

The woman was seriously injured. The condition of the other driver worse. Police suspect he’d been drinking.

An hour earlier in West Lincoln, a 43-year old Hamilton man slammed his Dodge van into a hydro pole at high speed. He’s now in a coma in hospital.

Detective Adam Carter, Niagara Regional Police: “We know he failed to stop for the stop sign at Grassie and Regional Road 20. Left the south edge of the roadway. Came into a collision with a hydro pole and several fence posts.”

And landed 50 feet into the field.

Because this collision happened overnight there were no witnesses. It was only when the power outage was reported that authorities were aware there was a crash victim in the field.

This is the seventh life threatening or fatal collision in Niagara region in the past nine days. Last week two motorcycle riders were killed in separate crashes.

43-year old Bobby Smith of Hamilton died on a rural road in West Lincoln. Smith loved motorcycles. His sister Tracie says he would get on his bike and ride for miles.

There have been 12 fatal collisions in the Niagara region so far this year. 15 people have been killed including the 24-year old man who was hit by the train in St. Catharines yesterday.