One man was killed and a stretch of Hwy. 401 was shut down completely for several hours after a multi-vehicle collision near Woodstock Friday morning.

The crash began in the westbound lanes just before 7 a.m., when a vehicle spun out of control and struck another car. The crash happened directly beside the Woodstock service centre.

It was the passenger in that out-of-control car, 55-year-old Terry Childs, who was killed, according to Oxford OPP.

Police aren’t sure how that person ended up in the eastbound lanes, across the highway median.

"We’re not sure how it happened, if they were ejected (from the vehicle) – that’s what we don’t know. At this point, that’s the investigation, trying to figure out what the heck happened," said Const. Lisa Narancsik.

Childs was struck and killed by a vehicle travelling eastbound, which then set off another multi-vehicle collision involving a transport truck and at least three cars.

No one else was gravely injured, but three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

“There’s a lot of destruction on the highways this morning,” said West Region OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor in a live update on Twitter.

All lanes of the highway were closed between Mill Street and Foldens Line after the collisions, and emergency detour routes were in place all morning.

Police continue to investigate the cause, and urged the public to report any information about the two collisions. Drivers travelling westbound on Hwy. 401 at the time of the initial crash are asked to call Oxford County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

mstacey@postmedia.com