A driver who police found staggering by the roadside on Highway 11 was lucky to avoid jail time, a Bracebridge court heard recently.
On Wednesday, Duane Crossett, 51, of Tillsonburg, pleaded guilty to driving while impaired by drugs.
Court heard that on May 9, 2021 at roughly 1 pm police received multiple calls about a collision on Highway 11 north in Gravenhurst. It was reported to police that a black sedan had pulled out of a motel driveway and nearly hit another vehicle on the highway before crashing into a sign on the shoulder of the highway.
When police arrived Crossett was out of his vehicle and stumbling on the side of the highway towards the live lanes of traffic. The attending officer had to assist Crossett to stay upright and his speech was unintelligible, court heard.
The OPP determined that Crosett was impaired by drugs and tests turned up lorazepam, morphine, and metabolites of THC and cocaine.
Court heard that Crossett has a criminal record that includes two previous convictions for impaired driving.
A joint sentencing submission was put forward for a $4,000 fine, a two-year driving ban and one-year probation.
The Crown admitted the submission was “very low”, given the accident and the prior impaired driving convictions but he said triable issues had resulted in the agreement.
Justice Sarah Tarcza said it was a miracle that no one was killed or seriously injured but agreed to the joint sentencing submission.
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