Apparent Street Race Kills U Of T Student
Posted September 20, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
He’d come to Toronto for an education and a chance at a better life.
All those dreams ended in a split second for a University of Toronto foreign exchange student on the Queensway near Cawthra Road late Tuesday night.
The still unidentified 30-year-old was driving a pick-up truck in the eastbound lanes when he became the unwilling centerpiece of a suspected road race between two others cars, which zoomed up behind his vehicle.
One of those hot rods apparently clipped the truck, sending it careening like a rocket into a hydro pole. The student never had a chance and was killed in the impact.
” Some vehicles were travelling at a high rate of speed together and it would appear that this is the direct cause,” notes Peel Cst. Pete Brandwood. “It’s very tragic. This is something that should be avoidable.”
Police allege five cars were involved in the incident overall, calculating the skid marks on the pavement where the vehicles lost control. The road was closed for nine hours.
Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has seen too many people killed or injured from racing on her streets and feels helpless to put a stop to it.
“We have enough accidents without street racing,” she complains. “I think the police have to crack down. But how can they be everywhere street racing takes place?”
The innocent bystander in this case had borrowed the pick up truck from a friend. Investigators call him an everyman, who was just driving along minding his own business.
The Harper government is planning on introducing a bill to make street racing a federal offence. And those who’ve seen the carnage believe it’s no different than picking up a lethal weapon.
“This is no less violent than taking a gun and shooting it off on the streets,” condemns O.P.P. Cst. Ken Taylor. “It’s every bit as despicable. “
- Cops find it hard to catch street racers
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This isn’t the first time street racing has had tragic consequences in the G.T.A. this year.
Here’s a look at some other incidents in 2006.
June 13
Police believe street racing was the cause of a terrible crash on Highway 427 near Rathburn Rd. that demolished the front end of a Corvette and left its driver in critical condition. Authorities think the driver of the sports car was racing with one or two others when the vehicle spun out of control and smashed into a guardrail. The expensive auto was a write-off.
May 27
It was a story that left even the most hardened cops with tears in their eyes. Rob and Lisa Manchester were out celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary when fate brought them to the intersection of Yonge St. and Stouffville Sideroad.
Also there that night – two suspected street racers. One of the cars slammed into the couple’s vehicle, killing them as they tried to make a left hand turn. He was just 47. She was only 43.
But most tragic of all is the person who was left behind at home waiting for them to return – their seven-year-old daughter Katie.
“We have information that there was two sports-type cars, Honda motor vehicles that were travelling at a high rate of speed northbound on Yonge Street immediately prior to the accident,” York Regional Police Staff Sgt. Gary Miner explained.
“It’s just sad. You’ve got a seven-year-old who’s now an orphan and people that are without relatives – it’s just sad.”
Relatives are now caring for the little girl who heartbreakingly kept asking police what happened to her parents.
A 19-year-old and a 21-year-old both face counts of criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving.
March 18
Cops believe a race between two motorcycles resulted in the sudden death of one of them. A 22-year-old lost control of his hog at Jane and the 401, hitting the back of a tractor trailer. The two bikes were spotted weaving in and out of traffic just before the crash.
January 24
The wake-up call that nobody wanted came fast and furious at the beginning of the New Year. As cabbie Tahir Khan was attempting to make a left turn at Mt. Pleasant and St. Clair, a Mercedes Benz appeared over the crest of the hill barreling right towards him.
It hit the 46-year-old before he could get out of the way, smashing the vehicle and killing Khan, who died at the scene.
“When he made that turn, two motor vehicles at a very high rate of speed were northbound,” related Det. Paul Lobsinger. “He crossed directly into the path of those vehicles and one of these vehicles struck him.”
Alexander Ryazanov and Wang-Piao Dumani Ross have both been accused of criminal negligence causing death. Ross also faces additional charges for leaving the scene of the crash.
If convicted, the maximum penalty could be life in prison.
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It still stuns people to learn that while there are traffic laws in Canada, there aren’t any specific rules regarding street racing. The Conservatives announced last June they intend to change that, alerting speed demons they planned to ram through a bill making the practice a federal office.
How will that change the law?
Here’s a comparison:
Dangerous driving (not causing bodily harm or death)
The penalties now: possible summary conviction (usually accompanied by a fine) or up to 5 years in jail.
Future penalties: possible summary conviction or up to 5 years in jail.
Dangerous driving causing bodily harm
- The penalties now: up to 10 years in jail
Future penalties: up to 14 years in jail
Dangerous driving causing death
The penalties now: up to 14 years in jail
Future penalties: up to life in prison
Criminal negligence causing bodily harm
The penalties now: up to 10 years in jail
Future penalties: up to 14 years in jail
Criminal negligence causing death
The penalties now: up to life in prison
Future penalties: up to life in prison.
