News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Blenheim Crash
Case Number: 07-OVI-186
The SIU assigned three investigators and two forensic identification technicians to investigate this incident.
The SIU determined that at 12:34 a.m. on September 9, 2007, a CKPS officer was travelling northbound on Lagoon Rd. A car southbound on Lagoon Road passed him at a high rate of speed. The CKPS officer made a U-turn to go after the car to check on the driver's behaviour. The officer attempted to catch up to the car, but it accelerated away from him. The officer slowed down and activated his emergency lights. The car did not stop and he lost sight of the car when it went over the crest of a hill in the road. The officer turned off his emergency lights and continued along the road. A short time later he located the car. The car had gone off the road and rolled into a field. Two passengers in the car were treated at hospital and released. The driver suffered paralysis in his legs and is recovering.
Director Cornish said, "The evidence revealed that the CKPS officer was a considerable distance from the driver's vehicle at the time of the rollover. The officer did not cause the driver's injuries. The driver's operation of his vehicle was the sole cause of the rollover, which led to his unfortunate injuries. The officer's driving fell well within the limits prescribed by law."
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, 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