A Tay Township senior was air-lifted to a Toronto hospital after sustaining serious injuries in a horrific head-on crash on Highway 12 Saturday afternoon.
The Tay senior was driving a west-bound Mercedes convertible on Highway 12 between Frazer Lane and Gratrix Road at about 2:30 p.m. when the crash occurred.
The driver of the other vehicle, a Toyota pickup heading eastbound, has been charged with impaired driving in the wake of the crash.
Southern Georgian Bay OPP, County of Simcoe Paramedics and Tay Township Fire Service were dispatched to the call Saturday.
Tay Township firefighters extricated both trapped drivers from their crumpled vehicles and triaged the victims at the scene. Both were transported, via ambulances, to Georgian Bay General Hospital.
The 77-year-old man from Tay Township, who had been driving the Mercedes, was later flown by Ornge Air Ambulance Services to a Toronto trauma hospital for further treatment of his serious injuries.
OPP Central Region Technical Collision Investigators assisted officers at the scene in determining the cause of the crash, which closed the busy stretch of Highway 12 for about six hours.
As a result of the probe, Georgian Bay Township’s Sigfrid Stahn, 69, who was operating the Toyota pickup at the time of the crash, has been charged with the following offences:
- Operation causing bodily harm
- Operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration (80 plus)
- Dangerous Operation causing bodily harm
Stahn was treated and released from hospital. His driver's licence has been suspended for 90 days. He was released from police custody on a recognizance to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Midland on Oct. 15, 2020.
While investigating the crash, the OPP Communications Centre received numerous calls about a possible impaired driver heading toward the crash site.
At about 5:30 p.m., an OPP officer directing traffic noted the suspect vehicle caught in the traffic jam and entered a drinking and driving investigation upon speaking to the driver.
As a result of the investigation, Brandy Bonneville, 23, of Tay Township has been charged with:
- Operation while impaired - alcohol and drugs
- Operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration (80 plus)
- Dangerous operation
- Failure to stop after accident
Bonneville’s driver's licence has been suspended for 90 days and will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Midland on Sept. 17 to face charges.
