Unlicensed drunk driver who caused Toronto fatal collision in 2023 pleads guilty
Tara MacMunn walked out of the Superior Courthouse Thursday, surrounded by friends and family who tried to shield her from news cameras.
Just minutes earlier, inside a fourth-floor courtroom, the 40-year-old Toronto woman pleaded guilty to an impaired driving charge causing death as the victim's family watched on.
MacMunn has been out on bail since April 27, 2023, nine days after a chain-reaction crash which claimed the life of 64-year-old Hazela Baksh.
Baksh's family told Global News they've been waiting for justice for more than two years and are anxious to see MacMunn start serving a significant prison sentence.
'It's been hard for not only myself but my whole family. It's very, very hard and hearing her name called today with everything, it just brings back raw emotions,' said Baksh's sister, Hasheda McCade.
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According to an agreed statement of facts read out in court by assistant Crown attorney Simon King, it was 11:05 p.m. on April 18, 2023, when MacMunn was operating a 2018 Nissan Altima eastbound on Albion Road near Finch Avenue, where the posted speed limit was 50 km/h.
At the time, Albion Road was under heavy construction and traffic was reduced to two lanes. MacMunn was travelling eastbound at a high rate of speed approaching Finch Avenue, where several vehicles were slowing or stopped.
As she approached the intersection, MacMunn hit a 2014 Toyota RAV 4 being driven by Hazeela Baksh. The impact of the collision was so severe, two other vehicles were also impacted. MacMunn's vehicle continued into the intersection before hitting a concrete barrier.
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Baksh was pronounced dead at the scene. MacMunn and a passenger in the front seat were taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
King said that while in hospital, MacMunn's blood was drawn. A warrant was sought for a sample of blood, which was sent to the Centre for Forensic Sciences (CFS). A toxicology report from CFS concluded that she had 210 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood when the sample was collected, or roughly two and a half times the legal limit.
Further inspection by police revealed MacMunn's driver's licence was not valid at the time of the collision. An inspection of the black box from MacMunn's vehicle revealed she was travelling in excess of 110 km/h just prior to the crash. Baksh's vehicle was travelling at 11 km/h when it was rear-ended by the Nissan being driven by MacMunn.
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Baksh's family said she was returning home from mosque, where she had gone to break the fast for Ramadan at the time she was killed. Her cousin, Fazeena Shabudin, remembered her as a generous, kind, loving person.
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Hazela Baksh's family outside court on Thursday. Catherine McDonald / Global News
The family says a 10-year sentence would be appropriate, though the Crown and defence have yet to indicate what sentence they will be suggesting.
'I feel bad for her children, but she need to know that she did the crime and she need to have the consequences,' said Shabudin.
'My message to everyone out there: please don't drink and drive because you devastate a whole family.'
Baksh's nephew echoed those sentiments and urged drivers to plan ahead if they're planning on drinking or using drugs.
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'There's Uber. There's Lyft. There's so many options, you know. Have a friend be a designated driver. Just be safe. This doesn't have to happen,' said Yasier Jason Baksh.
A sentencing hearing has been set for July, at which time 15 victim impact statements are expected to be heard. The maximum sentence for over 80 mg causing death is life in prison.
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