Fatal crash could have been prevented, son of driver says

Darin Blight says everyone knew his father should not have been driving and he hopes now that others like his father will be stopped before tragedy strikes.

Last week, recommendations from a coroner's jury held in Sudbury were put forward following an inquest into the death of Walter Blight.

Blight, 72, died in a collision on Highway 69 in 2015. There were questions about his ability to drive due to health problems. Before the collision, he had been stopped by both OPP and Greater Sudbury Police as his vehicle was reportedlydriving erratically.

The jury issued 27 recommendations, including allowing police to be able to suspend someone's licence for 24 hours if they suspect a medical or physical condition is affecting someone's ability to drive.

Blight's son Darin, says he hopes the main recommendation to empower police is enacted.

"That recommendation alone would have prevented this," he said.

"That extra power and some framework being put in for the 24-hour suspension, right, I don't see that as being something they should be able to shy away from."

Darin adds if police were able to suspend someone's licence swiftly for short periods of time could take dangerous drivers off the road.

"As horrible as what happened was, if he had of hit a family of five in a minivan instead of a transport truck this could have been so much worse for other families, too," he said.

The Ministry of Transportation is the only licensing body in the province.

The inquest heard it can take months to have a drivers licence to be reviewed and suspended by the MTO.