Barrie woman pleads guilty to pedestrian collision near Sadlon Arena in 2022 that sent 3 to hospital

A crying Cassie Korzenko pleaded guilty to three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm during her virtual appearance in an Orillia courtroom 13 months after the three pedestrians she hit crossing the street to a Colts game were rushed to hospital in serious and life-threatening condition.

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The Barrie mother of two heard the facts read by the Crown to Justice Nancy Dawson as part of a joint Agreed Statement of Facts, which included how she ran a red light in a rental car on the evening of Dec. 1, 2022, at the Bayview Drive and Mapleview Drive East intersection, crashing into three pedestrians outside the Sadlon Arena.

Two members of an organization that supports individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities were injured, along with their support worker. One of the men had to be intubated at the Barrie hospital before being taken via air ambulance to Toronto with skull, face and rib fractures, a broken shoulder and brain bleed.

The second man was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital with a spinal fracture, broken arm, dislocated knee and cuts to his face. Both men underwent surgery while their caregiver suffered cuts to her head and a separated shoulder.

The court heard first responders describe Korzenko as being behind the wheel and "out of it" at the crash scene, and that she told firefighters she "hit the people," and had used fentanyl earlier in the day.

Korzenko, now 33, was found to have fentanyl, methamphetamines and other opioids in her system that were not prescribed for medical use.

The Crown told the court Korzenko presented police her health card after being asked for her driver’s licence. She said she was in shock and was later found to be impaired by drugs in the hospital where she was placed under arrest.

Korzenko spent more than a month behind bars before being granted bail to a surety. Her loved ones told CTV News she had struggled for years with opioid addiction.

The court heard two other vehicles were damaged in the collision, including a pickup truck and Mazda 3. Those drivers were uninjured.

In a statement to CTV News, Empower Simcoe wrote in part, “Our number one priority is the health and well-being of the people we support, their families, and our employees."

Korzenko is scheduled to return to court later this week to set a date for sentencing.