Officer’s speeding did not cause collision that left driver seriously injured in Toronto: SIU

Ontario's police watchdog has charged an OPP officer with assault following an investigation into an interaction that left a 40-year-old man with serious injuries last year.The logo of the Ontario Special Investigations Unit is pictured in Toronto on Friday, April 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

No charges will be laid against a Toronto police officer who was travelling between 25 and 35 kilometres over the speed limit when he struck a driver who ran a red light in Etobicoke last spring.

In a report, Joseph Martino, the director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), said there are no reasonable grounds to charge the officer in connection with the collision, which occurred at the intersection of Kipling and Albion roads on April 28, 2026.

According to the report, the officer was travelling between 73 and 85 km/h in a 50 zone in the moments leading up to the crash, which left the civilian driver with serious injuries.

The report notes that the officer had the green light as he approached the intersection and collided with a grey-coloured Honda that had passed two vehicles stopped in the right lane.

“The collision pushed the Honda’s passenger side into a traffic signal pole on the north side of the intersection,” the SIU report stated.

The officer called in the collision, requesting paramedics and advising that the driver “was trapped in the car and appeared to be unconscious.”

The driver was rushed to hospital, where he was intubated in the intensive care unit.

“Perhaps, had he (the officer) been driving at a slower rate of speed in keeping with the speed limit, he could have noticed the Honda and taken action to avoid a collision,” Martino wrote.

“That said, I am unable to reasonably conclude that (the officer) constituted a danger on the roadway. There is no evidence of erratic driving by the officer, loss of control or any other conduct suggestive of dangerous, careless, unsafe or reckless operation of the vehicle.”

The report noted that the collision “would not have happened” if the civilian driver had stopped at the red light.

“For the foregoing reasons, there is no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case,” the report concluded.