Man charged in deadly Toronto crash that killed multiple children appears in court

Sara Jabakhanji · CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2025 11:10 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A antheral facing impaired driving charges in transportation with a deadly Toronto clang that killed 3 children and sent 3 others to infirmary concisely appeared successful tribunal Tuesday morning. 

Ethan Lehouillier of Georgetown, Ont., was arrested astatine the country of the crash at Renforth Drive and Highway 401 Sunday. He is facing 12 charges, including 3 counts of impaired driving causing death.

Lehouillier appeared by video from a detention centre wearing an orangish jumpsuit. He lone spoke to springiness his name.

The 19-year-old did not petition a bail proceeding Tuesday. Lehouillier is owed backmost successful tribunal adjacent month.

Police said the incident happened at astir 12:30 a.m. Sunday at the eastbound off-ramp adjacent Renforth Drive.

Investigators allege Lehouillier was speeding successful a Dodge Caravan while heading east, erstwhile he lost power of his vehicle. The van then went implicit a median and collided with a Chrysler Pacifica minivan that was stopped astatine a postulation light.

Four children, their mother, and a household person were wrong astatine the time, constabulary say. Three children, siblings aged 15, 13 and 6, were killed. Their identities are covered under a court-ordered work ban.

A 40-year-old antheral who was down the instrumentality of the Pacifica, a 35-year-old pistillate and a 10-year-old kid are presently successful hospital, according to police.

Toronto Police said connected Sunday the family was "torn apart" successful the aftermath of the crash.

Lehouillier's lawyer, Christopher Avery, told CBC News it's excessively aboriginal to accidental whether oregon not his lawsuit volition beryllium requesting bail.  Avery said helium is still waiting for the Crown to share evidence gathered successful the hours pursuing the crash.

Provincial conveyance records obtained by CBC News amusement the conveyance from the clang was listed nether the sanction Dave Lehouillier. 

When reached by telephone Monday, Dave Lehouillier declined to divulge his narration to Ethan, but did accidental the incidental was a "horrible tragedy."

"We're trying to walk clip with household and portion things together," helium said.

Young men hard to scope astir impaired driving: MADD

The caput of MADD Canada says it's important for cardinal messaging successful preventing impaired driving to scope young men. 

"If impairment was progressive … it's conscionable truly frustrating to support proceeding these stories, to support proceeding astir different household who's been devastated by idiosyncratic else's decisions," Steven Sullivan told CBC Radio's Metro Morning connected Tuesday. 

"Given each the choices we person successful society, particularly successful municipality areas now, [as] alternatives to impaired driving … it's hard to judge that radical are inactive making these choices."

As of Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe leafage that has since been acceptable up to enactment the victims's family done its loss has raised more than $143,467.

More nationalist consciousness needed: MADD

MADD Canada, oregon Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is a Canadian non-profit enactment that aims to forestall impaired driving and enactment victims of it. Sullivan said portion determination is nary "single solution" to impaired driving, a batch of enactment needs to beryllium done to proceed tackling the issue.

"More nationalist awareness, much education, much enforcement. We conscionable person to support moving to marque definite that radical recognize that determination are consequences to their actions," helium said.

WATCH | Sullivan on issue of impaired driving persisting despite acquisition campaigns:  

Sullivan added that it's particularly challenging for the messaging to scope young men who are often much prone to risky behaviour.

"In their minds they're invincible. They're a small spot selfish. Perhaps they don't possibly deliberation of semipermanent consequences. They're impulsive," Sullivan said.

"We person immoderate beauteous hard hitting messages that I deliberation a batch of radical are impacted by, astir what tin hap if idiosyncratic drives impaired. I don't cognize that [it] resonates with young men. We've been trying to displacement their connection much to showing them affirmative choices."

Technology that tests sobriety could beryllium 'game changer'

Sullivan said portion each levels of governments could bash much to get impaired drivers disconnected roads, and nationalist consciousness and acquisition remains key, helium hopes that exertion that tests operator sobriety tin beryllium a "game changer" in preventing impaired drivers from getting down the wheel. 

"As we amended exertion and cars, if we follow anti-impaired driving exertion that's being developed, that volition truly person a immense interaction on deaths and fatalities connected our roads," helium said.

MADD has antecedently pushed the national authorities to walk akin authorities to the U.S. aft erstwhile president Joe Biden signed into instrumentality a ineligible proviso requiring automakers to see anti-impaired driving exertion successful each caller cars starting successful 2026.

"No impaired operator ever thinks it's going to beryllium them, but it's ever idiosyncratic who ends up paying the terms for idiosyncratic else's choices," Sullivan said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Sunday that the "person liable for this heinous enactment needs to look the harshest punishment possible," successful a station connected X.

The clang comes 5 years after a comparable incidental successful June 2020, erstwhile a driver struck and killed a pistillate and her 3 young daughters successful Brampton. The 21-year-old antheral was sentenced to 17 years down bars.

It besides comes astir a decennary after another impaired operator caused the deaths of 3 children and their gramps successful Vaughan successful September 2015. The 29-year-old antheral was sentenced to 10 years successful situation and granted afloat parole successful February 2021.