Highway 11 northbound in Oro-Medonte Township was closed for several hours on Monday morning after Orillia OPP responded to a single-vehicle collision where the driver sustained minor injuries, but a tow truck operator who responded to the scene went into medical distress and died.

Police were called to the collision between Line 9 and Line 10 around 5 a.m.

The male driver was transported to hospital.

A Barrie police drug recognition expert assisted with the investigation and a 32-year-old from Barrie has been charged with impaired driving.

The tow operator was taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

He has been identified as 71-year-old Wayne (Sampson) Whitechurch of Oro-Medonte.

The road has since reopened.