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

    As Brazen Organized Crime Shootings Hit Montreal, Police Mum On Extent Of Problem

    A panicking woman spins in circles and screams for her children. Well-dressed party-goers in the posh hotel lobby are frantic.

    As Brazen Organized Crime Shootings Hit Montreal, Police Mum On Extent Of Problem

    Toronto Cop Takes Stand In Assault Trial, Admits Causing Victim's Eye Injury

    Toronto Cop Takes Stand In Assault Trial, Admits Causing Victim's Eye Injury
    OSHAWA, Ont. - A Toronto police officer is testifying that he acted in self-defence when he repeatedly punched a young black man in the face and body, eventually causing the man’s eye to rupture.    

    Toronto Cop Takes Stand In Assault Trial, Admits Causing Victim's Eye Injury

    Trudeau's Opponents Give Him An Earful But Also Seek Common Ground

    OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced two major opponents Tuesday: the Conservative Opposition Leader and the conservative premier of Saskatchewan.    

    Trudeau's Opponents Give Him An Earful But Also Seek Common Ground

    Latest Surrey, B.C., Homicide Appears Targeted, But Not Linked To Gangs: RCMP

    SURREY, B.C. - RCMP say a man has died after an attack in north Surrey, B.C.    

    Latest Surrey, B.C., Homicide Appears Targeted, But Not Linked To Gangs: RCMP

    Unifor To Unveil Next Steps As Metro Vancouver Transit Strike Continues

    VANCOUVER - The union representing roughly 5,000 striking transit workers in Metro Vancouver says it is ready to discuss its next steps in the 12-day-old job action.    

    Unifor To Unveil Next Steps As Metro Vancouver Transit Strike Continues

    Toddler In Toronto Killed By Air Conditioner That Fell Eight Storeys

    TORONTO - Police in Toronto say a two-and-a-half year old girl is dead after she was struck by an air conditioner that fell from an eighth-floor apartment.    

    Toddler In Toronto Killed By Air Conditioner That Fell Eight Storeys