Construction company charged in fatal Barrie crash that killed six: police

The Canadian Press
Construction company charged in fatal Barrie crash that killed six: police

BARRIE, Ont. — Police have charged a construction company in a fatal crash north of Toronto that killed six young people in August.

Police in Barrie, Ont., say Con-Drain Company Ltd. has been charged with six counts of criminal negligence causing death following a months-long investigation.

They have said the victims, all in their early 20s, were heading to a casino north of Toronto around 6 a.m. when their car crashed in a construction site, killing everyone in the vehicle.

Investigators had determined that the crash happened at a municipal construction site on a rural road, where the car plunged into a deep pit on Aug. 27, nearly 24 hours before police officers came across the scene.

Family and friends identified those killed in the crash as Curtis King, 22; River Wells, 23; Jason Ono-O’Connor, 22; Luke West, 22; Jersey Mitchell, 20; and Haley Marin, 21.

Police say the construction company is scheduled to appear at the Ontario court of justice in Barrie on Feb. 13.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2023.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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