News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation in Halton Hills

Case Number: 07-OVD-047   

Other News Releases Related to Case 07-OVD-047

SIU Investigates Collision in Halton Hills

TORONTO (6 March, 2007) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), James Cornish, has concluded that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that a Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) officer committed any criminal offence in yesterday's collision in Halton Hills.

At approximately 10:44 a.m. yesterday morning, the HRPS received a call about a collision on Trafalgar Road, north of 5th Sideroad. As an officer approached the collision scene, he saw that a white minivan had rolled and come to rest on its roof in a ditch off the northbound lane of Trafalgar. The officer pulled off the road and stopped on the east shoulder of the northbound lane of Trafalgar Road. He activated the cruiser's emergency lighting and walked over to the minivan to render assistance to the two occupants in the minivan. There were white-out conditions at the time and several motorists had exited their cars.

The officer helped a woman and a small child out of the minivan and into the back of the cruiser. In the meantime, the driver of a Ford Focus traveling northbound on Trafalgar lost control and struck three people who were out of their cars. The driver also struck the back of the police cruiser.

One man and two women were struck. The 49-year-old man died from his injuries and the two women were taken to Hamilton General Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with serious injuries. The 71-year-old male driver of the Focus and the woman and child in the back of the cruiser were treated for minor injuries and were treated and released from hospital.

Nine SIU investigators, including a collision reconstructionist and forensic identification technicians, were assigned to investigate the conduct of the involved officer in all the circumstances surrounding the collision. Based on the evidence gathered, the Director has concluded that no further SIU investigation is necessary. Director Cornish stated, "The officer was responding to his call of duty and rendering emergency assistance to a mother and her child. At the time the collision occurred, the officer's cruiser was completely off the roadway with its emergency lighting activated. In my view, there is nothing in the evidence to suggest that the involved officer's conduct caused or contributed to this collision that tragically took the life of one man and seriously injured two others."

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must

  • consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
  • depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
  • publicly report the results of its investigations
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES