The driver of a car involved in a fatal collision in St. John’s on Monday evening was facing charges of impaired driving related to a prior crash earlier this year.
Johnny Roberts, 25, died in Monday’s collision. He was driving a black Kia SUV that collided with a number of other vehicles and a motorcycle at the intersection of Topsail Road and Hamlyn Avenue.
The driver of the motorcycle — 44-year-old Chad Pitcher — was killed by the impact.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary tried to stop the Kia as it drove east on Topsail Road, near McNamara Drive in Paradise.
But the police say they ended their pursuit nearly three kilometres away, around Trails End Drive, after the SUV refused to stop.
The RNC said they had received multiple calls about the Kia.
On Wednesday, the Telegram newspaper quoted a witness as saying the SUV was travelling on Topsail Road at close to 200 km/h shortly before the collision.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s serious-incident response team has been called in by the chief of the RNC. The RCMP will handle the investigation, which will be overseen by NL-SIRT director Mike King.
Pending impaired driving charges
According to court documents, Roberts was facing impaired driving charges at the time of Monday’s fatal collision.
Those charges were laid after a crash near the intersection of Kenmount Road and Kelsey Drive in St. John’s in the early morning hours of Feb. 27.
According to a March 12 RNC news release seeking witnesses to the crash, a white Ford Fusion sedan with an Alberta licence plate had “significant damage” to its front end.
The driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Leave a Reply