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OPP community safety co-ordinator Sgt. Cynthia Savard said the pursuing officers had halted their chase “for safety reasons” before the crash.

Ottawa Senators play-by-play announcer Dean Brown witnessed the incident and was involved in the mayhem on the westbound 417, near Panmure Road.

In an in interview, Brown said police were not chasing the driver when he used a paved crossover to leave the eastbound lanes of Highway 417 and enter the westbound lanes. The driver — he was in a small, black car — sped directly into onrushing traffic at 1 p.m. on a clear blue Sunday afternoon.

“This is what he chose to do and he did not veer off his path one inch,” said Brown, the baritone voice of the Ottawa Senators. “He did not try to take the shoulder to get around these cars. He did not try to miss anybody.”

Brown was driving to a cottage with his girlfriend and her mother when he was suddenly confronted with the life-and-death situation.

“He was going wicked speed and basically started driving straight at us,” Brown said. “I’m in the right hand lane and the two cars right beside us in the passing lane, those are the two cars he hit head on. He hit the first one, the second car was right behind him, and those two cars then hit us and drove us into the ditch towards the rock wall.”

The small black car was sheared in half. Brown’s car was badly damaged and his left arm was scraped and bloodied.

“If it wasn’t for the airbags, we’d be dead,” said Brown, whose passengers were shaken but not seriously hurt. He lauded the calm, compassionate work of first responders who took control of the “horrific” crash scene.