Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

'Linda O'Leary Was Not Impaired' During Fatal Boat Crash, Says Defence Lawyer

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Nov, 2019 09:08 PM

    A lawyer for Linda O'Leary, the wife of celebrity businessman Kevin O'Leary, says his client was not impaired when she got involved in a boat crash on an Ontario lake that left two people dead.

     

    Recently unsealed court documents allege Linda O'Leary had alcohol on her breath the morning after the boat she was driving collided with another vessel around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 24. on Lake Joseph.

     

    Search warrant documents filed by Ontario Provincial Police say Linda O'Leary told police she had consumed alcohol after the crash, but before the breath test was administered on the morning of Aug. 25.

     

    Linda O'Leary's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, says in a statement that the "tragic accident had nothing to do with alcohol."

     

    Two people were killed and three others were injured in the collision.

     

    Linda O'Leary faces one charge of careless operation of a vessel under the Canada Shipping Act, while the operator of the other boat, Richard Ruh, of Orchard Park, N.Y., faces one charge of failing to exhibit a navigation light while underway.

     

    None of the allegations have been proven in court.

    "Linda O'Leary was not impaired; she is a highly experienced boater who was proceeding cautiously with due care and attention," Greenspan said in a statement to The Canadian Press.

     

    "She collided with a totally unlit boat on a moonless night which was invisible to any prudent operator. No one could have avoided the collision."

     

    The court documents also say that security camera footage from nearby cottages shows the other boat, which was adrift without its engine on and carried 12 people who were out to look at stars, did not have its navigational lights on.

     

    OPP officers filed the search warrants with court in Parry Sound, Ont., as they sought to seize and investigate O'Leary's boat and seize a digital video recorder from his cottage.

     

    Det. Ronald Marshall wrote in the search warrant that another officer went to the O'Learys' cottage shortly after the crash, following a 911 call that the couple had been involved in a boating accident and were injured.

     

    "(Linda) O'Leary registered an alert and was given a three-day driving suspension," Marshall wrote in the warrant documents.

     

    "O'Leary claimed that she had consumed alcohol following the collision and after returning home."

     

    Gary Poltash, 64, from Florida died at the scene, while Suzana Brito, 48, from Uxbridge, Ont., died in hospital a few days later.

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Are You A Taxi Driver? If You Are, It’s Time To Start Buckling Up.

    Taxi drivers used to be exempt from wearing seatbelts under Section 32.02 of the Motor Vehicle Act, as long as they remained under 70km/h. 

    Are You A Taxi Driver? If You Are, It’s Time To Start Buckling Up.

    Coquitlam RCMP Need Your Help to Cram the Cruiser

    The holidays can be a struggle for families in need, which is why the Coquitlam RCMP are organizing the 6th annual ‘Cram the Cruiser’ food drive.

    Coquitlam RCMP Need Your Help to Cram the Cruiser

    34-Yr-Old Langley Male In Custody After Attempt Break-In

    34-Yr-Old Langley Male In Custody After Attempt Break-In
    A Langley man will be heading to court today after a chain of events yesterday leading to several charges.  

    34-Yr-Old Langley Male In Custody After Attempt Break-In

    Charges Laid For Rental Fraud In Langley

    Charges Laid For Rental Fraud In Langley
    Jordan LUNNY, a 37 year old male from Langley has been charged with Fraud and providing a misleading receipt. He will next appear in Surrey Provincial Court on November 26th.

    Charges Laid For Rental Fraud In Langley

    DARPAN 10 with Fabian Dawson

    Journalism is not about colour. It’s about courage. It’s not about where you come from, it’s where you are going. Use your ethnicity for context not conflict.

    DARPAN 10 with Fabian Dawson

    Tory Sen. Jean-Guy Dagenais Quits Caucus Over Scheer's Socially Conservative Views

    In a statement Monday, Dagenais said Scheer's views on abortion and same-sex marriage led to a "mass exodus" of support in the province of Quebec, effectively ending the chances of electing more candidates there.

    Tory Sen. Jean-Guy Dagenais Quits Caucus Over Scheer's Socially Conservative Views