Charges dropped against construction company in Barrie, Ont. crash that killed 6 young adults
Charges against the company accused of criminal negligence in connection with an August 2022 collision that claimed the lives of six young adults in Barrie have been dropped.
On Monday, the Crown withdrew all charges against Condrain Group, citing there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction.
Condrain Group was charged with six counts of criminal negligence causing death after Barrie police accused the company of failing to properly secure the construction site along McKay Road after a car plunged into a deep concrete pit, killing its occupants - Curtis King, 22; River Wells, 23; Jason Ono-O'Connor, 22; Luke West, 22; Jersey Mitchell, 20; and Haley Marin, 21.
It's believed the group was on their way to a casino in Innisfil, south of Barrie, when the car they travelled in crashed into the massive hole in the centre of the closed road between Veterans Drive and County Road 27.
Police would come across the crash scene nearly 20 hours later.
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In a statement from the company issued by its lawyers, Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP, Condrain said it "has always had confidence in the justice system and that this matter would conclude as it has today."
It continued, "Our thoughts are with the families of those that lost their lives and the Barrie community. We remain committed to the community and moving forward from this heartbreaking tragedy."
It remains unclear what safety measures were present such as fencing, signage, or barricades in the vicinity of the large hole in the construction zone where the deadly crash occurred.
The City of Barrie has said the area was the site of an infrastructure project with new water mains and sanitary sewers at McKay Road and Veterans Drive.
Condrain, founded by the De Gasperis brothers, is one of the largest construction companies in Ontario.
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