Criminal charges filed against Con-Drain Group following Barrie car crash that killed six
January 13, 2023
By
OHS Canada
Photo: Barrie Police
Police in Barrie, Ont., have laid criminal charges against a construction company following a vehicle accident last summer that killed six people.
On Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, at about 2 a.m., while conducting a missing persons investigation, uniformed officers from the Barrie Police Service located a fatal motor vehicle collision that occurred on McKay Road, just east of County Road 27.
The car fell into a concrete pit — known as a tunnel access shaft — in the middle of a road under construction. Reports indicate the shaft was 10 metres wide and 20 metres deep. The accident claimed the lives of two females and four males who ranged in age from 20-23.
An investigation was started by members of the Barrie Police Service Traffic Unit and Investigative Services.
With the assistance of the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service (OCC-OFPS), the deceased victims were positively identified.
They were identifed as:
- Jersey Mitchell, 20
- River Wells, 23
- Curtis King, 22
- Luke West, 22
- Haley Marin, 21
- Jason O’Connor, 23
Also, in early September, investigators determined that the collision occurred shortly after 6 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27 as the deceased persons were traveling to a nearby casino.
“Over the past few months, this complex investigation has continued under the direction of the Barrie Police Service Major Crime Unit,” police said in a press release.
“As a result of the thorough investigation and review of all the available material, Con-Drain Company (1983) Ltd. has been charged with six counts of Criminal Negligence Causing Death, contrary to section 220(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice located in Barrie on Feb. 13, 2023.”
The Barrie Police Service will not be providing any additional comments regarding this incident or to the investigative process, it said.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour previously issued three orders and requirements in relation to the accident.
