In a news item published on December 27, 2018, Gorski Consulting questioned the OPP conclusions with respect to a fatal collision that occurred on Southminster Bourne Road. Those conclusions have now been corrected.
Southminster Bourne Road is located just south-west of London, Ontario. It was reported that on December 24, 2018 a pick-up truck travelling around a left-curve went out of control and struck a “bridge barrier”. The driver of the vehicle was reported to sustain fatal injuries. Gorski Consulting examined the site on December 27th. From that examination it was revealed that the vehicle made initial contact with a guardrail which caused the majority of the harm. A subsequent impact with a bridge railing was of minimal consequence. Given that the counter-clockwise rotation of the vehicle would have exposed the right front occupant to the greatest harm, we could not agree with the initial police conclusions that the deceased was the driver of the vehicle.
View of the collision site where the pick-up struck a guardrail and bridge railing. The obvious sign that the vehicle entered into a counter-clockwise rotation is in the visible “yaw” marks on the pavement leading to the guardrail impact on the opposite side of the road in the background.
The guardrail was struck just before the vehicle reached the bridge. The rail was displaced as it is designed to do.
View of the metal bridge railing where the rear of the rotating vehicle made contact after its initial contact with the guardrail.
In a subsequent statement released by the official media on February 21st, 2019, it was revealed that the police had changed their opinion. They believe that another individual was the driver and that person has been charged with dangerous driving causing death, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol and impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death.
Although Gorski Consulting cannot confirm or deny whether the newly-identified person was the driver, the altered opinion that the deceased was not the driver is satisfactory based on the physical evidence that was available.
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