Mayor Olivia Chow is calling the deaths of three children in a suspected impaired driving collision “heart-wrenching” and says she hopes more drivers will get the message not to drink and drive.
“It’s devastating to lose three kids,” Chow said during a news conference with reporters at Toronto City Hall ahead of a city council meeting Thursday. “They were young and bright.”
The collision occurred at around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday at the eastbound off-ramp from Highway 401 to Renforth Drive.
Toronto police said the driver of a Dodge Caravan was travelling at a high rate of speed when they struck a Chrysler minivan that was stopped at a red light.
A 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were pronounced dead at the scene, while their six-year-old sister succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
A 10-year-old boy, along with the children’s 35-year-old mother and her 40-year-old boyfriend were seriously injured, but survived.
The children’s aunt spoke to CTV Toronto Tuesday and said the kids were on their way home after enjoying an evening watching fireworks in Milton when the crash occurred.
She said the kids loved dancing, singing and playing video games and called their loss “heartbreaking.”
A publication ban is in place in order to protect the identities of the children.
Chow said she has not reached out to the family in order to allow them to grieve in private. However she said her office has reached out to the Toronto Catholic District School Board to offer any additional support they may need.
She said while statistics around drinking and driving have improved over the years, “one is too many” and she hopes more people get the message.
“I think every parent, if they have influence over their teenagers who then learn to drive, who then become drivers a few years later, needs to really hammer home: don’t drink and drive. Don’t. It costs us lives,” Chow said.
Ethan Lehouillier, 19, of Georgetown, Ont., is facing a dozen charges in connection with the crash, including dangerous driving causing death and impaired operation of a conveyance causing death. The charges have not been proven in court.
- With files from The Canadian Press
