No Charges In Killer Motorcycle Crash – SIU

The Special Investigations Unit says charges are not warranted in a motorcycle crash in Alliston last June that claimed the life of a 35 year old man. He was being pursued by police after a tip he had been drinking and could be impaired. The SIU says the pursuit lasted less than one minute, ending when the man’s motorcycle crashed into two cement partitions at 8th Avenue just north of Morrison Avenue. He died of major trauma suffered in the crash. In making his decision, the Director noted, “The evidence indicates that the subject officer drove at a moderate speed throughout, with her lights and siren activated, and cognizant of the traffic control signals along the route. Moreover, there is no indication that the officer’s conduct in what was a very short pursuit in time and distance – less than a minute over approximately 700 metres – ever endangered the public, including the driver of the motorcycle. In fact, the evidence indicates that the officer was at all times a significant distance behind the motorcycle – about 400 metres at the point of collision. On this record, I am persuaded that the officer was acting in the course of her lawful duties when she approached the man to investigate him for impaired driving and that she exercised a level of care in the ensuing pursuit that fell well within the limits prescribed by the criminal law.”