A trip to watch the Victoria Day fireworks in Milton, Ont., turned into a heart-wrenching tragedy early on Sunday morning, when three siblings were killed in a car crash as they waited at a red light.
Just after 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, police were called to a collision beside Highway 401 allegedly caused by a drunk driver.
Police said a Chrysler Pacifica was sitting at a red light on Renforth Drive when a speeding Dodge Caravan, leaving Highway 401, lost control and collided with the minivan.
Three siblings — aged 15, 13 and six — were killed, while their mother was injured. Another sibling was injured but survived and was taken to hospital.
The identity of the children is covered by a publication ban.
Two cousins of the family shared their grief on Tuesday in an interview with Global News, sitting at the bedside of the injured mother.
“They went to watch fireworks in Milton, it was a day event, there was activity with horses, they were there with other cousins, just a family fireworks day for the long weekend,” one said.
Global News is also not naming the cousins to ensure the publication ban is observed.
The cousins said the mother, her boyfriend and the four children were driving home from their grandmother’s house in Etobicoke when the crash happened. The mother, they said, was sitting in the passenger seat as the van came towards them.
“She remembers everything pretty vividly, she remembers the car coming so fast towards them,” the cousin said.
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The other added, “She thought it was a dream, she can’t imagine this car going this fast, this can’t be real.”
The crash leaves one surviving sibling, a 10-year-old who remains in SickKids Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“How do you go from having three to none? ” the second cousin said. “I just don’t understand. Who’s he going to play video games with? They were always together. They share a room together.”
On Tuesday, the Toronto District Catholic School Board said the children had attended one of their schools and said mental health support would be offered for students.
“We can confirm that all four children involved in the tragic car accident in Etobicoke this weekend are students of the Toronto Catholic District School Board,” the board said in a statement.
“We are heartbroken by this loss, which will be felt deeply throughout our entire school community.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also shared his response to the crash on Sunday.
“I am heartbroken by the tragic and senseless deaths of three young children,” he wrote in a social media post.
“My thoughts are with the families grieving this unimaginable loss of life. The person responsible for this heinous act needs to face the harshest punishment possible.”
Police announced that they had arrested 19-year-old Ethan Lehouillier from Georgetown at the scene of the crash.
He has been charged with three counts of both impaired driving causing death and of dangerous driving causing death. In total, Lehouillier faces 12 charges.
He made his second court appearance on Tuesday, where his lawyer indicated he won’t seek bail.
“They’re pretty angered, they want justice for their kids, they would want him to go away for life,” the first cousin said. “Their kids are not going to be able to grow and live a life, he stole that from them.”
He is expected to appear in court again on June 17th.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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