‘This was a murder’: Premier Doug Ford meets with family of Ontario man killed by alleged dangerous driver

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will work with the other ministers on dangerous driving, impaired driving, and stunt driving penalties in the province.

Premier Doug Ford met with the family of an Ontario man who was killed in a crash involving an alleged dangerous driver last month and said he supports their efforts to change the province’s road safety laws.

“This wasn’t an accident. It was a murder. This was a reckless, careless person that didn’t care about people’s lives,” Ford said after the meeting, noting the driver—Jaiwin Victor Kirubananthan—hit his car months before he crashed into Andrew Cristillo, 35, and his family in August.

Ford spoke with Cristillo’s wife, Christina, brother, Jordan, and father, Danny, for a 30-minute, closed-door meeting at Queen’s Park on Friday.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Ford said he would support Jordan’s push to strengthen dangerous driving laws in the aftermath of the deadly crash through a bill the family has dubbed “Andrew’s Law.”

“We’re going to do this in the fall legislation. We’re going to push this through immediately. We’ll do whatever it takes,” Ford said emphatically.

Among the proposed changes, Andrew’s Law would introduce mandatory driving bans in Ontario for motorists charged with dangerous driving until their trial is complete, as well as lifetime driving bans for people convicted of extreme dangerous driving, including stunt driving at excessive rates of speed or causing collisions while reckless or impaired.

‘My brother is not dying in vain’

Jordan spoke alongside Ford following the Friday meeting and said the premier’s urgency on the issue “means the world” to the family.

“It means that my brother is not dying in vain, and it means that this is going to help save countless lives going forward, having a premier that actually picks up the phone and reaches out and has your back gives me confidence in this country…I think this is going to turn pain into purpose and save lives,” he said.

A petition to enact the legislative changes pitched by the Cristillos has received nearly 35,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

Cristillo was driving on Highway 48 in Whitchurch-Stouffville on the night of Aug. 3 with his wife and three young daughters when Kirubananthan, 18, collided with his vehicle. Cristillo was killed in the head-on collision. His wife and three young daughters were injured.

Kirubananthan allegedly fled the scene, police previously said.

The teen driver was charged with dangerous driving causing Cristillo’s death, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, and making a false statement to police.

Court documents show that Kirubananthan was previously charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in connection with the January collision involving the premier. They also show that Kirubananthan likely faced a 30-day driving ban following the crash, which is mandatory after a stunt driving charge, but was not arrested.

When Ford was first asked about the fact that the same driver was involved in both collisions last month, he said Kirubananthan was driving like an “idiot” when he hit his vehicle.

“He hit me right on my door, going over 200 kilometres an hour. We didn’t even know what hit us,” Ford said. The premier and the members of the OPP Protective Services unit he was travelling with were not injured.

Cristillo’s children recovering

Speaking to The Canadian Press last month, Jordan said that while his nieces are recovering physically, their emotional wounds may never heal.

“I’m confident that they’ll continue to (physically) heal and move forward, but it’s more of the life milestones of looking out when you’re doing a recital and not seeing your father in the crowd, or walking down an aisle, and not having your father to walk you down that aisle,” he said at the time.

Ford added that he’ll continue to support the family, and urged others to do the same, as Cristillo’s daughters return to school and Christina continues a years-long battle with breast cancer.

“We’re going to be there to support Christina at her job at the school board as well, and make sure that the kids slowly, based on what Christina and their family want, get back into the classroom,” he said.

A GoFundMe campaign launched for the Cristillos has amassed more than $530,000.

With files from Jon Woodward and The Canadian Press