Distraught mother says tragic car accident could have been avoided
- EFN Staff | September 08, 2016
A Saskatoon mother believes a 70 year old man killed in a car crash would be alive today if the justice system did its job and incarcerated her 17 year old son. According to the mother, the 17 year old allegedly responsible was in court the morning of the accident and she was relieved because he was finally going to be breached and sent for help for his addictions.
“He showed up for court slurring his words, foaming at the mouth, he was stumbling and his pants were almost falling off. He was in clear breach of his conditions,” she said in an interview with Eagle Feather News.
“The judge asked me if he was high. I said yes. The prosecutor could tell. His legal aid lawyer could tell. The police outside of court watched as he swore as us for betraying him and took off in the car. I hoped they would arrest him. Why did they let him go?”
According to the mother, the alleged driver left court at 11:20, went home and showered and changed then left in a car. He hit a car near their house then headed to Circle Drive. Police were called to a multi-vehicle collision at approximately 1:25 p.m. Preliminary investigation by the Collision Analyst Unit determined that a vehicle traveling northbound on Circle Drive struck a piece of construction equipment. The northbound vehicle then crossed the median and struck a southbound vehicle. The 70-year-old driver of the southbound vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene. His name is not being released at this time.
A 17-year-old man was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was released into Police custody yesterday evening. He appeared in Court this morning for Breach of Probation (x2) and Breach of Undertaking (x2). The investigation into any criminal driving charges is ongoing. The SPS Traffic Unit is investigating the incident with the assistance of the Major Crime Unit.
Prior to the fatal collision, Police received two reports of the suspect vehicle being driven erratically. Patrol members were actively looking for, but had not located the vehicle when the fatal collision occurred.
Now a family has lost a loved one and a young man sits in a cell with no real knowledge of the damage he has done.
“I went to court with such hope,” said the mother. “He was sober for three weeks this summer and it was so great but he relapsed. Yesterday was finally my chance to get him into rehab and they let him go. Then he went a killed someone two hours later. My eyes are swollen from crying all night.”