According to authorities, a driver who struck and killed two pedestrians in Mimico on Thursday night before being killed in a following collision with a parked vehicle had various license restrictions that should have barred him from driving.
At roughly 5:15 p.m., the driver, a 36-year-old man, was driving east on Lake Shore Boulevard West near Eighth Street when he was engaged in a “small sideswipe-style incident” with a parked van, according to police.
Following the crash, police stated the motorist seemed to be experiencing a seizure.
They said several bystanders attempted to provide assistance, smashing the vehicle’s window in order to gain access to the driver.
Emergency personnel did attend, but police said the driver ultimately re-entered his vehicle about 12 minutes later and fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers.
CP24 has since obtained video that shows firefighters speaking with the man prior to him leaving the scene.
Moments later, a 75-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman were in a crosswalk at Lake Shore Boulevard West and Superior Avenue, about two-and-a-half kilometres down the road from the initial crash site.
Police said the Cadillac was travelling at a high rate of speed as it approached the crosswalk and ultimately struck both pedestrians without coming to a stop.
The driver then slammed his vehicle into the rear of a parked flatbed trailer on the east side of the intersection.
Police said the driver of the Cadillac and both pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver was under several prohibitions at the time of the crash, according to police.
A driving prohibition under the Criminal Code of Canada and a provincial driver’s license medical suspension were among the prohibitions.
“When we investigate a case, we usually do it with the intention of bringing criminal or provincial charges against the person who is at fault.” “We believe it’s vital for the public to understand that the man who was driving this vehicle, who caused this incident, was, in fact, forbidden from driving on any road in this country,” Supt. Scott Baptist told reporters during a news conference on Friday morning.
Baptist would not comment on the precise reasons behind the driving prohibitions given to the deceased, but he expressed frustration over the fact that he chose to get behind the wheel.
He also said that the driver was not the registered owner and suggested that police would be looking into how he came into possession of the Cadillac and whether the registered owner was aware of his driving history.
“That is something that is part of the investigation, and if the evidence takes us in that direction, anything is possible,” he said when asked if charges could be laid against that individual.
Source_ The Canadian Press
