logo
Father speaks out after son critically injured in crash allegedly involving 5-time impaired driver

Father speaks out after son critically injured in crash allegedly involving 5-time impaired driver

Yahoo16-07-2025
A Bolton, Ont., father says he is angry and disappointed after his son was critically injured in a Brampton crash allegedly caused by a five-time repeat impaired driver, who has been released on bail.
Riz Arshad, father of Gabriel Arshad, 21, said he would like people to reach out to their MPs to demand bail reform.
Peel Regional Police said the accused, 58-year-old Koushal Kasiram of Mississauga, was released on bail on the condition that he not drive a motor vehicle. At the time of the crash on July 5, police said, he had five previous impaired driving convictions dating back to 2010 and was on three separate lifetime driving bans.
Arshad said he couldn't believe Kasiram was released on bail. He said what happened to his son was terrible enough but when he learned about the bail, he felt it added "insult to injury" because Kasiram most likely shouldn't have been on the road.
"I don't understand what the thinking there was. My son's going to be here for probably months, if we're lucky. And this guy was out the next day, enjoying his family, doing what he does every day and potentially putting his little incident behind him. We were very disappointed," he said.
"We are very angry that he had this opportunity to potentially do it again. It's very discouraging."
"We need to keep these guys in jail and show them that we're serious. This is a serious thing that they are doing. They are taking people's lives in their hands ... The justice system has to realize that by letting this guy out, he's putting other people at risk now."
Kasiram has been charged with one count of impaired driving causing bodily harm, one count of driving with excess blood alcohol and three counts of prohibited driving.
Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, accused people in Canada have the right to bail unless there is a very compelling reason to keep them in custody. Granting them bail means they can remain out of jail, often with specific conditions, while their case moves through the justice system — a process that can take many months.
Several provincial governments and police associations have been calling upon the federal government to re-examine and revise the bail system. Advocates have pointed out the vast majority of people in Ontario jails have been denied bail and are awaiting trial.
Victim likely to have 'life-altering injuries': police
Gabriel has been at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre since the crash. He was driving on Highway 50 between Brampton and Bolton when he was struck. The crash, involving four vehicles, happened at the intersection of Highway 50 and Coleraine Drive around 4:15 p.m.
In a news release on July 10, Peel Regional Police said Gabriel is likely to have "long-term life-altering injuries." Two other people were injured.
Arshad said he is hoping for the best and his son remains in a coma and has had three surgeries already to fix the damage to his stomach.
"But he's still got a bunch of stuff to go. He's got a bunch of broken bones and, unfortunately, some serious head injury that he has to try to get overcome."
Arshad said his son, his third child, is a "good kid" with lots of friends and a generous person. He was a volunteer soccer coach and has dreams of being a plumber.
"Hopefully, he's going to get to live some of those dreams he had. I hope he gets his second and third chance as well."
The family meanwhile is still in shock, said Arshad. He said the first two days were "very, very scary," but Gabriel's condition seems to have slightly improved. He said he and his wife have been by his son's side in the intensive care unit every day. Gabriel has two older sisters and a younger brother.
"I strongly feel I'm going to take my son home. You know, it's not going to happen overnight... but I feel like we're going to take him home," he said.
'Some people shouldn't be released,' MADD Canada says
Steve Sullivan, CEO of MADD Canada, said on Monday the decision to release Kasiram was "quite surprising" to the organization.
"The assumption is always that people will get bail because everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but we do know, practically, that some people shouldn't be released," he said.
In Canada, it's up to police and prosecutors to make the case against granting bail, although murder and certain other offences have a "reverse onus," meaning the accused has to convince the court to release them.
In early 2024, the federal government's amendments to bail provisions under the Criminal Code came into effect, focusing on repeat violent offenders who used weapons. The changes also broadened the reverse onus targeting repeat offenders of intimate partner violence, but did not focus on offenders repeatedly convicted of impaired driving. According to the government's website, however, the changes do "require courts to state on the record for any bail decision that they have considered the safety and security of the community in relation to the alleged offence, thereby increasing accountability to the public."
Sullivan said it is a challenge for the criminal justice system to deal with individuals who keep repeating behaviour that puts others at risk.
"Sadly, allegedly in this case, we've now seen this person continue his behaviour until he's caused someone else serious harm, again respecting the right to be presumed innocent. This is what you don't want to happen," he said.
"I think our system struggles sometimes with those people who you just can't get the message through and how do you deal with that ongoing risk?"
Sullivan said he assumes the accused has a drinking problem and hopes he has been offered rehabilitation.
He said better solution to a lifetime driving prohibition is the installation of a lifetime ignition interlock device — a screening device that can prevent an engine from starting if it detects a driver has alcohol in their system.
It is illegal in Canada for a driver to operate a vehicle if impaired by alcohol, drugs or both. Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent are considered impaired under the Criminal Code and subject to potential charges. For young, novice or commercial drivers, no alcohol can be present in the system while operating a vehicle.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bev Priestman ‘didn't feel safe' in Canada after spying ban, appointed at Wellington Phoenix
Bev Priestman ‘didn't feel safe' in Canada after spying ban, appointed at Wellington Phoenix

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Bev Priestman ‘didn't feel safe' in Canada after spying ban, appointed at Wellington Phoenix

Former Canada women's soccer coach Bev Priestman says she 'didn't feel safe' in the country after her one-year ban from the sport for her role in a spying scandal at last year's Olympics. Priestman has been appointed at Wellington Phoenix Women, the New Zealand club which competes in the Australian A-League, following the expiration of her suspension from football-related activities due to 'offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play.' The 39-year-old Englishwoman was removed as Canada coach in August 2024 following the spying scandal that overshadowed the nation's Olympics campaign. A staff member for Canada was caught flying a drone over a training session of opponents New Zealand, with it subsequently emerging that drone use against opponents predated that tournament. 'I didn't feel safe (living in Canada after the Olympics),' Priestman said at a news conference, via AFP. 'That's being brutally honest. It was very difficult for my family, and I have to live with that. 'It was an absolute media frenzy. You've got people knocking at your door and everything, and I've got a little boy. Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. We knew we had to get out of that country.' Referencing the expiration of her ban, Priestman said: 'There's certain values that I hold and unfortunately, you know, things around me have clouded my judgement. 'So for me personally, I just want to get back to … I love working with people. I love getting the best out of people. I love being on a football pitch.' Priestman — married to Emma Humphries, a former New Zealand international midfielder — has said she aims to 'bring some special moments to not only this city, but this country.' Priestman won 30 of her 56 matches in charge of Canada and led the team to the gold medal at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in August 2021. Wellington Phoenix, who were previously managed by Paul Temple, finished ninth of 12 in last season's A-League. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Canada, International Football, Women's Soccer, Olympics, Women's World Cup 2025 The Athletic Media Company

Motorist struck, injured while trying to change tire on Southfield Freeway
Motorist struck, injured while trying to change tire on Southfield Freeway

CBS News

time3 hours ago

  • CBS News

Motorist struck, injured while trying to change tire on Southfield Freeway

A motorist who was trying to change a tire on his vehicle was struck and injured Tuesday evening in Metro Detroit, the Michigan State Police reported. The collision happened about 7:10 p.m. along northbound Southfield Freeway (M-39) near Schoolcraft Road. When troopers arrived after the call to Detroit Regional Communication Center, they found the man on the ground. Officers learned that he was trying to fix a flat tire on the Dodge Caliber, while his wife was in the front passenger seat. In the meantime, a Chevrolet Impala was also northbound and struck the man who was attempting to change the tire. The victim had serious physical injuries and was taken to a local hospital by the Detroit Fire Department's EMS crew. Officers arrested the Chevy driver, a 52-year-old man from Plymouth, after determining he showed signs of impairment. The investigation is continuing. "Two things can be taken from this crash," Michigan State Police F/Lt. Mike Shaw said. "First do not drive impaired. There are too many options available. End of story. "Second, if you do get a flat tire on the freeway, call 911. There are safety vans that can help change the tire and keep you safe. If you don't want to wait, drive off at the next exit and change the tire off the freeway. It is too dangerous to get out of your vehicle on the freeway."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store