SIU clears officers after driver seriously injured near Fergus, Ont.

A black car is seen in the ditch near the corner of Wellington Road 18 and Fourth Line in Centre Wellington on March 22, 2023. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says police officers are not at fault after a driver was seriously injured during an interaction with police in March 2023.

Ontario’s police watchdog said it happened shortly after midnight, in the area of Wellington Road 18 and Fourth Line, a few kilometres northeast of Fergus, Ont.

Halton police officers attempted to stop a black Chrysler 300 alleged to have committed traffic infractions in another jurisdiction, according to the SIU.

When that was unsuccessful, the driver made his way to Centre Wellington.

The SIU said Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) tried to stop the vehicle but it drove off the road and ended up in a ditch.

A 43-year-old Centre Wellington man was transported to hospital with what was described as a serious injury.

The SIU decision stated that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s injuries.

However the SIU did make note that use of force was used against the complainant.

“He had embarked on a course of reckless and dangerous driving - operating his vehicle well over the speed limit, disregarding traffic control signals, and travelling on the wrong side of the road – and the officers were within their rights in seeking to take him into custody,” said the SIU.

The SIU called the man was a danger on the road.

“It was imperative that he be stopped in the interests of public safety,” the SIU said.

The director added he is satisfied that the subject officials did not use excessive force or drive dangerously while dealing with the man.

The file is now closed.