Ontario's law-enforcement oversight agency has exonerated Sarnia police in an August crash that injured an 80-year-old woman.
At around 3:10 p.m. on Monday, August 26, an officer was travelling northbound on Indian Road, en route to an emergency call.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said the cruiser collided with an eastbound vehicle on Exmouth Street.
The 80-year-old woman driving the other vehicle was transported to hospital for a fractured neck.
SIU Director Joseph Martino said that while the officer should have taken more care before going through the intersection, he saw no evidence that the officer was negligent. Investigators also did not blame the victim.
"The [officer] did approach the intersection with his emergency lights and siren on, came to a virtual stop at the intersection before entering, and had confirmed that most, if not all, of the traffic in the vicinity, had yielded before he accelerated forward," wrote Martino. "On this record, the officer’s indiscretion falls short of amounting to a marked departure from a reasonable standard of care in the circumstances."
-with files from Josh Boyce