Accused in fatal hit-and-run appears in court
Posted November 25, 2012 9:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Police have identified the 22-year-old driver who surrendered after a fatal hit-and-run in the west end on Friday.
Miguel Oliveira has been charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing death and appeared in an Old City Hall court on Sunday morning. He remains in custody and will be back in court again on Monday.
Early Friday morning, Tom Samson, a married 35-year-old father of two, was cycling through the intersection of Lansdowne Avenue and Davenport Road when he was hit, allegedly by Oliveira’s minivan.
Police say Oliveira fled before they arrived, but the driver of a second vehicle, which also hit Samson, stayed at the scene. Officers reportedly seized Oliveira’s vehicle from the family’s home and are in the process of getting a search warrant.
Samson was a popular Grade 2 teacher and coach at Swansea Junior and Senior Public School and had taught there for eight years.
On Sunday, the Samson family made the following statement:
“We are overwhelmed by the love and support that we have received over the past two days. Tom was a beloved father, husband, son, brother, friend and teacher. He lived his life to the fullest and without regrets. He loved his wife and children very much, and was passionate about his calling as an elementary school teacher.
Our main focus now is to look after Tom’s wife and the children.”
A trust fund has been set up for Samson’s family at the Bank of Montreal at Bloor Street West and Windermere Avenue. A book of remembrance will be set up at the school.
The funeral will take place Nov. 27 at 1 p.m. at 76 Wychwood Avenue, located near St. Clair Avenue West and Christie Street.
The group Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists says it will hold a memorial for Samson next Friday at the scene of the fatal collision.
