London police not at fault for serious collision on Osgoode Drive in March

The province’s Special Investigations Unit. (File photo)

A collision that seriously injured a 22-year-old man in London was not the fault of police, according to the investigation of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

According to SIU documents, on March 26, 2024, at about 12:10 a.m., while on their way to a call for service, two police officers observed a white sedan going eastbound on Southdale Road East, but driving in the westbound lanes with no headlights on. When the officers attempted to get the vehicle to pull over, it sped off. Police pulled off the road, broadcast their location, and continued on to their initial call.

The white sedan was later found to have left control at a sharp bend on Osgoode Drive, careening off the road and hitting a tree suffering serious injuries, including a fractured femur and jaw.

Although London police had initially believed that that because the officers did not engage in a pursuit, that the incident did not warrant reporting to the SIU, they were contacted the following morning.

The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency that investigates independently when there has been death, serious injury, sexual assault, or the discharge of a firearm at a person in dealing with police.