An investigation by the province's police watchdog has determined there are no grounds to charge a Norfolk OPP officer after a man was hit by a transport truck near Courtland last March.
A 23-year-old man was hit by a transport truck on Hwy. 3 on the afternoon of Friday, March 6. He was treated for serious injuries at the London Health Sciences Centre.
According to the SIU's report, the officer spotted the man's pickup truck in a ditch on Hwy. 3 after being called to the area by a woman who reported a man she thought was impaired driving erratically.
The officer approached the pickup and spoke to the 23-year-old man behind the wheel. The man did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and the officer could not figure out what caused the pickup to leave the road.
The officer returned to his cruiser and ran a check on the man, which turned up nothing of note. The man then approached the cruiser and leaned into the passenger’s side window.
The officer asked the man if he had any suicidal intentions. The man said several times that he did not. However, he then said he did want to kill himself and ran around the cruiser into the path of a tractor trailer.
The officer radioed for an ambulance and tended to the man until paramedics arrived.
The head of the SIU says the officer did nothing to lead to the man's injuries.
“There is no indication the subject officer bears any responsibility for this traumatic event," says Tony Loparco, Director of the Special Investigations Unit. "There is no evidence the subject officer said or did anything to prompt the man’s actions. After the impact, the subject officer comforted the man until paramedics arrived. In conclusion there is little else that the subject officer could have done to prevent what occurred.”
