A provincial police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing after a woman was injured while fleeing a traffic stop in Lakeshore.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said an Essex County OPP officer attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding and a licence plate infraction on County Road 8 on July 22.
The vehicle fled, and the officer discontinued the pursuit. However, the driver, a 51-year-old woman, later lost control and drove into a ditch in front of a home in the area of County Road 8 and County Road 31. The woman ran from the scene and was later located hiding in a wheat field.
The driver was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured vertebra.
“It was readily apparent that the officer did nothing that could conceivably attract criminal liability in connection with the injuries of the woman,” said SIU Deputy Director Stacey O’Brien in her report.
As a result, the investigation has been terminated.
The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency in Ontario that investigates any incident involving police that has resulted in death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm, or allegations of sexual assault.
