Kingston man arrested following serious collision on Bath Road

A local man has been arrested and charged after a very serious collision took place on Bath Road, sending two people to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The collision occurred at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2019, on Bath Road just west of Sir John A MacDonald Boulevard. Investigation by Kingston Police found that the accused man had been driving a white SUV westbound on Bath Road, and then drove off the roadway onto the north shoulder of the road and sidewalk. The accused man then continued to drive westbound, both recklessly and at a high rate of speed, along the sidewalk of 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.

The SUV sustained extensive damage and came to a rest facing eastbound against a tree on the north side of Bath Road. Both the accused man and a female passenger were trapped inside the SUV and required extraction by Kingston Fire and Rescue and Kingston Police officers on the scene. The accused 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. According to Marco Smits, media relations officer for Frontenac Paramedic Services, the injuries were severe, with patients losing consciousness and suffering head trauma following the collision. In treatment of one patient required the use of an IO gun (a medical instrument used for the immediate delivery of life-saving fluids or medications through the bone marrow, commonly referred to as a ‘bone gun.’ This is often employed for patients who are in shock or who have impaired blood flow).

Collision Reconstructionists from the Kingston Police Traffic Safety Unit attended the scene to conduct a full investigation, leaving the section of the busy main street closed for several hours.

The accused man was treated for his injuries at the hospital and then arrested and transported to police headquarters, where he was held to attend a bail hearing.

A 28-year-old local man was charged with two counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. According to Const. Ashley Gutheinz, media relations officer for Kingston Police, 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.

Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Det. Fisher at 613-549-4660 ext. 6338, or via email at [email protected]. Tips can also be provided anonymously by calling the Kingston Police general number (613-549-4660 ext. 0) and asking to remain anonymous.

At time of publication, it is believed both the female passenger and female pedestrian remain in hospital.