A 39-year-old Ontario transport truck driver has been charged for his role in a fatal multi-vehicle accident in June that shut down Highway 401 in Whitby. He turned himself in to police on Dec. 17.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police, the crash occurred around before 11 a.m. on June 24 when the defendant’s westbound truck rear-ended a Toyota Corolla between Stevenson Road and Thickson Road near the Thickson Road exit. A Setra tour bus and a Pontiac Sunfire were also involved in the accident.
Two occupants of the Toyota were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The car’s third occupant, a 29-year-old Scarborough man riding in the back seat, was killed. The driver of the Sunfire, a 23-year-old Oshawa man, also suffered minor injuries. The defendant and all occupants of the bus escaped injury.
The defendant was charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing death. He was held in custody awaiting a bail hearing. He was scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 8.
After a serious car accident that involves injuries or fatalities, police study the crash scene to determine the cause of the crash. This information can be of particular importance to those who experienced losses in the accident. Victims who suffered injuries in an auto accident, such as back problems, a soft tissue injury or serious and permanent impairment, could hire a lawyer to file a civil lawsuit against the at-fault driver for damages, including medical expenses. Likewise, certain surviving family members of a victim killed in a car accident could file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover funeral and burial costs and other end-of-life expenses.