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

    Metro Vancouver Bus Riders Hit Hard Monday By Vancouver Transit Job Action

    Metro Vancouver Bus Riders Hit Hard Monday By Vancouver Transit Job Action
    VANCOUVER - An overtime ban by Metro Vancouver transit drivers snarled Monday's commute for many bus passengers.    

    Metro Vancouver Bus Riders Hit Hard Monday By Vancouver Transit Job Action

    Body Found In Burnt-Out SUV In Abbotsford Field, IHIT Team Investigating

    On Friday night at 10:34 pm, Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service (AFRS) firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle fire in the 5300 block of Bates Road.

    Body Found In Burnt-Out SUV In Abbotsford Field, IHIT Team Investigating

    Overnight Lane Closures On Lions Gate Bridge

    Drivers are advised that single-lane alternating traffic will be in effect from 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, to 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, for joint and bearing repairs on the Lions Gate Bridge.

    Overnight Lane Closures On Lions Gate Bridge

    BC Opening Doors To Trades Training For Youth, Women

    New funding is being invested in thousands of youth, women and under-represented groups to get the training and support they need for apprenticeships and employment in the skilled trades.

    BC Opening Doors To Trades Training For Youth, Women

    Richmond Students Have Fun, Stay Fit With Three New Playgrounds

    Richmond Students Have Fun, Stay Fit With Three New Playgrounds
    Students at three Richmond elementary schools are benefiting from new playgrounds that encourage active learning and healthy lifestyles.

    Richmond Students Have Fun, Stay Fit With Three New Playgrounds

    Better Rental Supports For People In North Vancouver

    Better Rental Supports For People In North Vancouver
    People and families facing a financial emergency will have access to better supports to help pay rent and avoid eviction through Harvest Project’s new rent bank.    

    Better Rental Supports For People In North Vancouver