A Greater Sudbury Police officer is not at fault for a collision that sent a woman to hospital with injuries back in February.
This is the conclusion of the Special Investigations Unit, which investigated the crash because the police cruiser had been involved in a brief chase with the truck that caused the accident that sent the woman to hospital.
“On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the SO (subject officer) committed a criminal offence in connection with the collision and the Complainant’s (the injured woman) injuries,” wrote SIU Director Joseph Martino in the report, which was released late in the day on June 21.
The SIU mandate was invoked because of the time proximity between the police chase and the crash, raising the question of whether the chase itself led to the collision.
While the incident that precipitated the report occurred near the end of February, SIU said internal investigative reports were not prepared until March 28, hence the delay in releasing the information.
According to the report, an unnamed GSPS officer was on patrol on Regent Street headed south at around 8:41 p.m. on Feb. 21 when he saw a pickup truck speeding toward him well in excess of the 60 km/h limit.
The officer pulled a u-turn and briefly gave chase. Data from the cruiser included in the report shows the officer followed the suspect vehicle for about 30 seconds, hitting a maximum speed of around 100 km/h. When the fleeing vehicle didn’t stop, the officer slowed down and deactivated his emergency lights and sirens.
The officer began the chase at about 8:42:10 p.m. and the crash, which happened in the intersection of Regent and Martindale Road, happened at approximately 8:42:42 p.m., SIU said. The speeding pickup truck drove through a red light and struck a westbound minivan in the intersection, sending it spinning around to face north.
The crash left the female driver of the minivan with what the report describes as a “minor brain bleed, concussion and fractured index finger.” Although taken to hospital shortly after the crash with what were thought to be minor injuries, about seven hours later, at 4:40 a.m., she was admitted to Health Sciences North for treatment of her injuries.
The driver of the pickup denied being injured and refused medical treatment. He was later charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving related charges.
In the report, Martino said the officer was in his rights in attempting to stop the speeding truck and acted wisely in giving up the chase when it became clear the truck was not going to stop.
“I am also satisfied that the SO (subject officer) comported himself with due care and regard for public safety throughout his brief engagement with [the pickup driver],” Martino wrote. “While the officer initially accelerated to about 100 km/h, this was done over a relatively short distance and with the cruiser’s emergency equipment activated, mitigating the risk to third-party traffic in the area.
“As soon as it became clear that the pick-up truck was not going to stop, the SO, wisely, in my view, slowed to between 40 and 50 km/h while continuing northbound. Throughout this period, there is no indication of other motorists having to take evasive action because of the officer’s driving. Nor does the evidence suggest that the SO unduly pushed [the pickup truck driver]” to drive any faster.”
SIU has closed the file. You can read the full report here.
Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com..
