Police say a woman involved in a five-vehicle crash in the northeast of the city fled the scene and tried to set herself on fire before she was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

A man is also in hospital in critical condition after the Wednesday evening crash, which closed down Bayview Ave. from Foxwarren Dr., just north of Sheppard, to Empress Ave, but police said his injuries are not life-threatening.

Police say the man, who is believed to be in his 50s, was hit in the head with a wooden two-by-four that left one of the vehicles and went through his windshield during the crash.

Staff Sgt. Frank Barredo said a woman left the crash scene and went one street south to a home on Foxwarren Dr.

“It appears she entered a house, turned on some gas elements, presumably to ignite them, but was later outside the house trying to set her hair on fire with a lighter,” said Barredo.

“She had injuries consistent with an auto collision,” he added.

The woman was not known to the residents of the home, located in a quiet, upscale neighbourhood, more than 1,000 metres from the crash scene.

“I just went out of the house to put out the garbage and she must have come in,” said an elderly female occupant who was shaken by the incident.

“As I was coming back around the corner, my neighbour yelled out to me ‘Doris, someone went in your house.’ I come in and sure enough, there’s a woman in the kitchen, leaning over the gas stove, with all the burners on trying to ignite herself.”

She said the woman appeared to be in her late twenties.

Hours after the incident, collision reconstruction units were on the scene trying to piece together events which left vehicles spread across the sidewalks on both sides of Bayview Ave.

Police said the man and woman who were sent to hospital were both drivers involved in the crash, which occurred at Bayview and Elmwood Aves. around 6 p.m.

The other three drivers were not seriously hurt, but several others involved in the accident suffered minor injuries.

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Motorists are advised to avoid the area while police investigate.

With files from Molly Hayes