Northern Ont. man could get life in prison for fatal 2023 crash

A jail bunk bed is shown behind bars (Pexels)

A 26-year-old Thunder Bay man is facing life in prison after being charged in a fatal northern Ontario crash that killed one person in the summer of 2023.

Shortly after 11 a.m. on Aug. 8, 2023, emergency crews were called to the scene of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 527 in Armstrong, south of Gull Bay and more than 250 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

The crash involved a commercial and a passenger motor vehicle.

“The driver of the passenger motor vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene,” Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release the day after the crash.

On Monday morning, more than 19 months after the incident, police said they charged the driver of the commercial vehicle with dangerous operation causing death under the criminal code.

“Investigations resulting in the loss of life and serious injuries can be complex to investigate,” OPP said.

“As the vast majority of fatal collisions are preventable, thorough and accurate investigations help ensure that motorists who cause these collisions are held accountable for their driving behaviours. The victims and their families deserve no less.”

The charge is an indictable offence that carries severe penalties up to life in prison if convicted.

• Download the CTV News app now
• Get local breaking news alerts

Minimum sentences for dangerous driving causing death include a $1,000 fine, a five-year licence suspension and increased insurance rates.

“To win a conviction, the Crown must prove you were driving in a public place and your actions were a marked departure from the standard of care expected from a reasonable person in the same circumstances,” Criminal Code Help said on its website.

• Want more local news? Check out the Northwestern Ontario page

“In other words, your driving fell below the level of a careful and competent driver. Lack of care in the way you drove to the point that you were reckless or unsafe must be established. Your behaviour does not have to actually endanger the public for a conviction to be registered.”

The charge in this case has not been proven in court.

• Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox

“Traffic safety remains a top priority of the OPP and is a key component of the OPP’s public safety mandate,” police said.