A three-car accident in Ontario that resulted in the deaths of two men on Jan. 27 may have involved alcohol impairment or excessive speeds. An Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson said that investigators were examining the vehicles involved in the crash at the time of reports.
The accident occurred early on Jan. 27 on Highway 6 near Chippewa Creek Road in Hamilton. Police said that a Volvo driven by an 18-year-old Caledonia man was travelling in one of the southbound lanes when it veered into the northbound lanes, striking a Ford SUV head-on. The Volvo caught fire after the collision. A third vehicle carrying two people slammed into the Volvo and the Ford SUV.
The SUV’s driver, a 53-year-old Caledonia man, died at the scene of the accident. The 18-year-old man was taken to hospital, where he later died. Paramedics also took the occupants of the third vehicle, a 44-year-old Dunnville man and his 19-year-old son, to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Reports noted that the accident occurred before sunrise on a wet stretch of Highway 6 where snow was blowing across the roadway. An OPP representative declined to comment on the weather conditions but said that investigators had not ruled out excessive speed or alcohol use as possible contributing factors in the crash.
Impaired drivers often have difficulty controlling their speed, which may cause them to lose control of their vehicles even in optimal weather conditions. Their responsibility for their accidents is not mitigated if they die as a result of accidents they cause, and families of other deceased victims of impaired driving crashes sometimes consider filing wrongful death suits against negligent drivers’ estates.
Source: The Hamilton Spectator, “Speed, alcohol not ruled out in crash that killed two Caledonia men”, Rosie Grover, Jan. 27, 2015
