The relatives of a father of three who was killed by a dangerous driver shed tears in a Newmarket courtroom Tuesday morning as they described the pain and the loss after his sudden death.
The father of Andrew Cristillo, Danny Cristillo, described his 35-year-old son as a “man who built a rich, full, loving life for the people he loved the most.”
“My son Andrew was the greatest gift. My joy. My pride. I miss his smile. I miss his voice. I miss his laughter,” Danny Cristillo said.
“The moment I lost Andrew I also lost a piece of my heart. Carrying life without him is different. I’m not the same person I was before August 3 and I never will be,” the victim’s father said.
The driver, Jaiwin Kirubananthan, sat facing forward, quietly listening to the victim impact statements, which are part of a hearing to determine his sentence.
Kirubananthan pleaded guilty in April to dangerous driving causing death, failing to remain at the scene of a crash where death ensued, and three counts of dangerous operation of a vehicle in connection with the crash on August, 3, 2025.
Andrew Cristillo was driving on Highway 48 in Whitchurch-Stouffille that evening with his wife and three young daughters when Kirubananthan, who was 18 at the time, collided with his vehicle.
An agreed statement of facts presented in court said that Kirubananthan was driving 136 km/h in the wrong direction on a highway with a posted maximum speed of 80 km/h.
Andrew Cristillo was killed instantly. His wife was able to pull his three daughters from the wreckage. Each had broken bones and lacerations to their faces.
First responders found Kirubananthan nine hours later, about 150 meters away, lying in a potato field. Court heard he told the officers he wasn’t the driver, though investigators found his car’s airbag system registered only one person in the vehicle at the time.
Court documents show Kirubananthan was previously charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in connection with a January 2025 collision involving Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
They also show he likely faced a 30-day driving ban following the crash, which is mandatory after a stunt driving charge, but was not arrested.
The premier has spoken out in support of “Andrew’s Law,” which would, among other things, introduce mandatory driving bans in Ontario for motorists charged with dangerous driving until their trial is complete.
Danny Cristillo also described going to a store to purchase a suit for his son’s wedding with Andrew Cristillo and his then-bride Christina.
“Nine years later, I found myself in a change room at the same store trying on another suit standing there alone. I was buying a suit for my son’s funeral,” he said.
“A wedding suit. A funeral suit. Nine years apart. Both for the same son,” he said.
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