Police closed part of Ellice Avenue Tuesday morning after a serious crash late Monday night.
Officers said they saw a minivan driving erratically just before 11:00 p.m. on Balmoral Street between Cumberland Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue.
The van almost side-swiped a police cruiser, said officers.
Police began pursuing it, but called off the chase "due to the unsafe manner of driving by the suspect." The Air1 helicopter was dispatched to follow the vehicle from above.
The van hit a car at Ellice Avenue and Arlington Street. No injuries were reported.
"The suspect continued at a high rate of speed, nearly becoming involved in a head-on collision with an eastbound vehicle," said police.
The van continued through Empress Street and collided with construction equipment in the 1400 block of Ellice Avenue and burst into flames.
The driver was pulled from the wreckage and paramedics took him to hospital in critical condition.
There was no one besides the driver in the vehicle.
Officials blocked off Ellice Avenue between Empress Street and St. James Street.
Police said the 48-year-old driver faces numerous charges.
