Ontario's police watchdog has ruled no criminal offence took place after an elderly woman was struck by a cruiser in Corunna last November.
According to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), on the morning of November 16, 2022, a woman was waiting on the southwest corner of the intersection of St. Clair Boulevard and St. Clair Parkway for the traffic signal to turn to show the 'walk' symbol to be displayed.
When the light turned green, the woman began to walk east onto the crosswalk across St. Clair Parkway when she was struck by a police vehicle. She rolled onto the hood of the cruiser on impact and was then "propelled" off several metres down the road after the vehicle stopped.
"The [subject officer] was operating the police cruiser. He had been waiting at a red light for westbound traffic on St. Clair Boulevard intending to turn left when the light turned green and he embarked on his turn," read a statement from the SIU. "The officer brought his vehicle to a stop quickly after the collision."
The SIU said the woman was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with serious fractures to her left leg.
Following an investigation into the incident, SIU Director Joesph Martino said he has found no reasonable grounds to believe the officer operating the vehicle committed a crime.
"I am unable to reasonably conclude on the evidence that the officer's conduct amounted to a marked departure from a reasonable standard of care in the circumstances," Martino wrote in his analysis. "He says that he simply did not see the Complainant and believed his path was clear as he travelled into the crosswalk."
"I am satisfied that the officer’s indiscretion may fairly be characterized as a momentary lapse of attention, which, as the case law makes clear, will generally not be enough to ground criminal [liability]," Martino concluded.
The file is now closed.
A full version of the report can be found on the SIU's website.
