Ontario’s police watchdog has found no criminal wrongdoing by a London officer involved in a fatal crash that occurred on September 10 at Queens Avenue and William Street, just east of downtown.
A 67-year-old woman died from her injuries after her SUV was struck by a pickup truck at the intersection. The woman’s husband and a passenger in the truck also sustained serious injuries.
In his report released on Tuesday, Joseph Martino, director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), stated there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed a criminal act related to the incident, specifically dangerous driving.
The agency noted that around 3:10 p. m., while on patrol near Dundas and Colborne streets, the officer spotted a 55-year-old man riding in the back of a black 2002 Chevrolet Silverado.
The officer began following the truck down King Street as it turned north onto Maitland Street and then east onto Dundas Street. According to the SIU, once aware he was being followed, the truck driver accelerated.
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An SIU reconstruction of the Sept. 10 collision at Queens Avenue and William Street. (Special Investigations Unit)
In their report to the SIU, police mentioned that when they reached Dundas and Maitland streets, the officer activated his lights briefly before turning them off again while continuing to follow. They reported that as he did so, the truck sped up and turned north onto William Street.
The cruiser’s GPS recorded speeds of up to 82 km/h as the officer tried to catch up down Dundas according to SIU findings.
The northbound truck then aggressively accelerated along William Street. As it neared Queens Avenue, it veered into southbound lanes to pass another vehicle waiting at a red light before entering the intersection where it collided with a westbound 2024 Volkswagen Taos.
“Pre-crash Crash Data Recorder (CDR) data indicated the Chevrolet accelerated from 56 km/h to 80 km/h in the five seconds before impact, with 100 per cent throttle applied and no braking,” stated Martino’s report.
The officer arrived approximately 14 seconds after impact. The entire sequence unfolded within less than a minute and a half based on SIU’s timeline.
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Stills from a City of London traffic camera which captured the collision on Sept. 10. The red circle added by SIU marks where the police officer was located during this event; timestamps indicate when each still was taken from video footage during their investigation. (Special Investigations Unit)
The crash propelled both vehicles onto grass at northwest corner of intersection, with VW ending up on its roof more than 20 meters away from where they collided.
The passenger in VW suffered major injuries due to collision but sadly passed away seven days later on September 17th after being hospitalized. Her husband driving also experienced significant injuries including broken neck, fractured ribs, and hip injury.
The unsecured man riding in back of pickup was thrown out during crash; he needed intubation afterward for collapsed lung alongside fractured rib per reports by SIU officials.
The driver fled from scene on foot but was later identified; on September 22nd authorities announced charges against him including multiple counts such as failing to stop at accident site plus dangerous operation among others while driving under suspension status too!
Officer was driving safe before crash: Martino
Martino analyzed situation claiming there wasn’t sufficient evidence suggesting any kind neglectful behavior by officer operating vehicle given circumstances surrounding events leading up collisions occurrence..“In this case we need consider whether actions displayed lack care towards handling vehicle properly enough warrant criminal charges resulting cause or contributing factors leading us here today – my conclusion tells me otherwise,” said Martino......
This law enforcement official acted within bounds stopping pickup responsibly maintaining safety standards throughout interaction involving chase pursuit itself” emphasized statement issued earlier reported findings further clarifying situation brought forth preceding collisions happening afterwards too!
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