Impaired driver convicted in 2019 Bath Road collision

A local man, Brandon Desjardins, has been found guilty of charges laid in March 2019 when Kingston Police were called to a serious motor vehicle collision on Bath Road at Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard.

The Kingston Police investigation of the incident, which took place on Mar. 5, 2019, and saw Bath Road closed to traffic for hours, found that the accused had been driving a white SUV westbound on Bath Road, and drove off the roadway onto the north shoulder of the road and sidewalk. Desjardins then continued to drive westbound, both recklessly and at a high rate of speed, along the sidewalk on the north side of Bath Road. A female pedestrian walking on the sidewalk attempted to get out of the way but was struck by the accused and thrown to the ground.

According to police, the SUV sustained extensive damage and came to a rest facing eastbound against a tree on the north side of Bath Road. Both the driver and a passenger were trapped inside the SUV and required extraction by Kingston Fire and Rescue and Kingston Police officers on the scene.

Desjardins was transported by paramedics to Kingston General Hospital (KGH) with minor injuries. The female passenger was transported by paramedics to KGH after sustaining life-threatening injuries.

The pedestrian was also taken to KGH by Frontenac Paramedics after suffering life-threatening injuries.

Desjardins, 28 years old at the time of the incident, was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm as well as two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, according to Kingston Police.

At the time of the incident, Const. Ashley Gutheinz, media relations officer for Kingston Police, stated that the reason for the charges is that there was an element of intentionality in the unsafe driving – the accused man was allegedly angry about being stuck in traffic and willfully sped in the wrong direction.

In August 2021, Desjardins stood trial on the above four charges. On December 16, 2021, he was found guilty on all four counts with sentencing set to take place this January, Kingston Police stated.

During the investigation into this incident, Kingston Police called on the public for their assistance, and numerous witnesses came forward with observations of the event. Kingston Police would like to thank those who contributed information, stating that the information obtained “had been vital and ultimately proved to be an important part of this case.”