Close X
Thursday, November 14, 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

    Family Of 2-Year-Old Killed By Falling AC Unit Hires Lawyer To Investigate

    TORONTO - The family of a two-year-old girl who was killed by a falling air conditioner say they're "struggling to cope" with the loss, and have retained a lawyer to figure out exactly what caused the tragedy.    

    Family Of 2-Year-Old Killed By Falling AC Unit Hires Lawyer To Investigate

    Jagmeet Singh To Lay Out NDP Priorities In Meeting With Trudeau Thursday

    Jagmeet Singh To Lay Out NDP Priorities In Meeting With Trudeau Thursday
    The party was reduced to fourth place in the House of Commons behind the Liberals, Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois after winning just 24 seats in the recent election, down from the 39 it held before the Oct. 21 vote.

    Jagmeet Singh To Lay Out NDP Priorities In Meeting With Trudeau Thursday

    Bylaw Targeting ‘Aggressive' Panhandlers Passes In Maple Ridge, B.C.

    Bylaw Targeting ‘Aggressive' Panhandlers Passes In Maple Ridge, B.C.
    A bylaw targeting certain panhandlers has been approved in the Metro Vancouver city of Maple Ridge.

    Bylaw Targeting ‘Aggressive' Panhandlers Passes In Maple Ridge, B.C.

    I Wish To Extend My Best Wishes To All Sikhs In Canada For A Joyous Guru Nanak Gurpurab: Andrew Scheer

    “The Sikh community will gather together to spend time in meditation and prayer, singing hymns, and sharing a community lunch known as Langar, at Gurdwaras across the country.

    I Wish To Extend My Best Wishes To All Sikhs In Canada For A Joyous Guru Nanak Gurpurab: Andrew Scheer

    On Behalf Of All British Columbians, I Extend My Warmest Wishes For A Happy Guru Nanak Gurpurab: John Horgan

    “Today, Sikhs in British Columbia and around the globe celebrate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founder of the Sikh religion.

    On Behalf Of All British Columbians, I Extend My Warmest Wishes For A Happy Guru Nanak Gurpurab: John Horgan

    BC Financial Services Authority: Single Real Estate Regulator Protects People, Combats Money Laundering

    British Columbians can buy and sell their homes with renewed confidence and protection as the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) takes its first steps toward becoming the single regulator for real estate.

    BC Financial Services Authority: Single Real Estate Regulator Protects People, Combats Money Laundering