\u201cThis tragedy should have been prevented,\u201d said Andrew Cristillo\u2019s younger brother, Jordan, saying his family is hoping even in death, the genial and humorous husband and father of three can make a positive difference for others through proposed changes they\u2019re calling \u201cAndrew\u2019s Law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jordan was speaking just outside the courthouse in Oshawa on Friday, where the accused driver, 18-year-old Jaiwin Kirubananthan, appeared at a bail hearing.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/NS4SHG53JJEL5DWQ3SM5BPASNI.jpg\")
Jordan Cristillo Jordan Cristillo speaking just outside a courthouse in Oshawa on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (CTV News) <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re allowing dangerous drivers on the road, we\u2019re gambling with other people\u2019s lives. That\u2019s why we\u2019re petitioning to bring forward the Andrew Law, where dangerous drivers that are charged are no longer allowed on the road,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a privilege, not a right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kirubananthan is charged with dangerous driving causing death in the Aug. 3 head-on collision on Highway 48 north of Toronto that killed Cristillo, who was heading home from a family gathering with his wife and three kids.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ISESVPXIIVDEXJWGGN5CSA2WZY.jpg\")
Andrew Cristillo Andrew Cristillo is shown with his wife and three daughters in this picture provided by family. Cristillo was killed in a head-on collision on Aug. 3. <\/p>\n
Cristillo\u2019s wife, Christina, pushed out the windshield with her feet to get the three kids, 7-year-old Leah, 6-year-old Chloe, and 4-year-old Ella, out of the car, her family said. They\u2019re recovering in hospital from what the family describes as \u201clife-altering injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Long overdue\u2019: premier<\/p>\n
The family\u2019s petition appears to have found support in Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who was riding in a vehicle that was hit allegedly by Kirubananthan in an earlier incident.<\/p>\n
Ford appeared to give his blessings after CTV News asked Thursday about mandatory restrictions pending trial for those receiving a dangerous driving charge.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/EOXWM2QW7NBKJOB655W2ZQDITQ.jpg\")
Premier Doug Ford Premier Doug Ford listens to reporters during a news conference. <\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. I think it\u2019s long overdue. So we\u2019ll look at it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re racing from point A to point B. It\u2019s just terrible. They need to have their licenses taken away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ford also described the January crash from his perspective, saying the other driver was driving over 200 km\/h and swooped across three lanes of traffic, saying he was \u201clucky, quite literally, by inches.\u201d<\/p>\n
The premier said he had been in touch with Cristillo\u2019s family and said he had to stop himself before saying more to avoid affecting the ongoing legal proceedings.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust frustrating, heartbreaking, and I just give condolences and our prayers go out to the family, and I know the people of Ontario will support him any way we can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6MLZYANI4BESXIOTOF2GDKK7CM.jpg\")
Hwy. 401 crash An OPP vehicle, in which Premier Doug Ford was travelling, became involved in a collision on Highway 401 in Pickering on Jan. 8, 2024. (MTO) <\/p>\n
Back in January, Kirubananthan was also charged with stunt driving under the Highway Traffic Act and later dangerous driving for hitting an OPP cruiser carrying Premier Doug Ford on Highway 401.<\/p>\n
The stunt driving charge carried with it a 30-day driving ban, but Kirubananthan regained the legal ability to drive in part because he was issued a summons for the dangerous driving charge instead of being put through a bail hearing where a judge can order driving restrictions.<\/p>\n
Family wants mandatory driving bans<\/p>\n
The Cristillo petition is calling for those driving bans to be mandatory after a dangerous driving charge, saying that could have prevented Cristillo\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was not an unavoidable accident; it was the direct result of a system that repeatedly allows dangerous drivers another chance,\u201d the petition says.<\/p>\n
The petition also calls for \u201clife sentences or charges equivalent to murder when dangerous driving results in the loss of life\u201d and \u201clifetime bans for extreme dangerous driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Criminal lawyer Monte MacGregor, who has been following the case, said the proposal for mandatory bans is similar to what is issued at the side of the road for stunt driving and drunk driving cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it\u2019s a reasonable measure that affords us the security of knowing, okay, you\u2019re allowed out of jail, but we\u2019re trying to protect society from any further offences,\u201d MacGregor said.<\/p>\n
Barry Fox, Kirubananthan\u2019s lawyer, told reporters outside the Oshawa courthouse that his client\u2019s family, who attended the hearing, was \u201cvery concerned\u201d about what happened.<\/p>\n
Bail decision postponed<\/p>\n
At the time of the Aug. 3 crash, the OPP said Kirubananthan was arrested after fleeing the scene. A decision was expected Friday on whether to release him on bail, and after some legal arguments, that decision was postponed until August 25.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SDWBYGTB7NB7RN35V5MZJ74LDA.jpg\")
Bail hearing This court sketch shows the bail hearing for 18-year-old Jaiwin Kirubananthan. <\/p>\n
The arguments and evidence in the bail hearing are covered by a publication ban and can\u2019t be reported. Kirubananthan is considered innocent unless proven guilty on both sets of charges.<\/p>\n
Cristillo\u2019s family is also reeling because his wife, Christina, has been battling late-stage breast cancer and must now contend with raising three young children without her husband.<\/p>\n