Ontario Premier Doug Ford says a driver accused in two crashes this year, one that killed a father of three in August and another that hit a car transporting the premier himself in January, was “just reckless, careless.”
Speaking at unrelated news conference on Thursday, Ford commented the connection between the two crashes, saying it’s “heart-wrenching.”
The crash on Aug. 3 in Whitchurch-Stouffville left Andrew Cristillo, 35, dead at the scene and injured his wife, Christina Cristillo, and their three daughters.
“As far as I’m concerned, he shouldn’t have been driving,” Ford said.
“It’s heart wrenching when you talk to the family… Everyone has to pitch in and help this family. It’s terrible,” Ford added.
Police say the accused is the same person charged earlier this year after a car hit an OPP vehicle transporting Ford on Highway 401. That collision happened as Ford was on his way back from an announcement at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. The vehicle got “sideswiped,” Ford said later that day.
Ford acknowledged the case is before the courts, but commented: “And this person being able to get out there and drive, you know … I wish I could say what’s on my mind right now, but I think people know how I feel and everyone else in Ontario feels about this person… just reckless, careless.”
The premier added that he would support some restrictions for drivers after they have been charged criminally with offences such as dangerous driving.
Decision on bail expected Friday
The driver, an 18-year-old Oshawa man, is expected to learn on Friday whether he will be granted bail after he was charged in the Aug. 3 crash.
He has been charged with dangerous driving causing death, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to remain at an accident resulting in death and public mischief.
The Cristillo family is shown here. Andrew Cristillo, left back row, died in a crash on August 3, while his wife, Christina, right back row, was injured along with the couple’s three daughters. (GoFundMe)
Ontario Provincial Police say the collision involving two vehicles happened on Highway 48 between St. John Sideroad and Ballantrae Commons. According to the OPP, the driver of the other vehicle in the crash fled the scene but was found and arrested a short time later.
As for the crash on Jan. 8, Ford said: “He hit me right on my door, going over 200 km/h. We didn’t even know what hit us. We’re just driving straight and he swooped across three lanes from an on-ramp.
“Just reckless, careless stunt driving. We were lucky literally by inches and he gets back in the car and acts like an idiot, driving recklessly.”
Father described as ‘amazing, hands-on dad’
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $430,000 for the Cristillo family.
On the page, Christina Cristillo writes of her husband: “Andrew was my best friend and the love of my life — the kind of partner who stood beside me through everything, making me feel loved, supported, and never alone.
“He was an amazing, hands-on dad to our girls, always playing with them, teaching them, and making them laugh until their cheeks hurt. Andrew had a wicked sense of humour and a way of lighting up every room he walked into — the life of the party, the friend everyone wanted by their side, the one who could make you smile even on your worst day.”
Cristillo says her three daughters were sent to SickKids for treatment of life-altering injuries.
She said she is fighting breast cancer and must now raise their daughters alone while coping with her own health challenges.
“This tragedy was not just an accident — it’s the result of someone else’s reckless actions,” she wrote.