St. Catharines man charged with impaired in fatal rollover crash

A man from St. Catharines faces impaired driving charges after a rollover car crash claimed a woman’s life.

The car left York Rd in Niagara-on-the-Lake around 10:30 p.m. July 9. It rolled over into the ditch between Concession Rd 1 and Concession Rd 2.

Niagara Region Police officers and Niagara Emergency Medical Service paramedics responded to the scene. They found a woman dead in the wreckage. The NOTL Fire Department extricated the driver, a man, from the car with serious injuries.

Paramedics treated the driver on scene before he was transported to hospital. The NRPS Collision Reconstruction Unit and Forensic Services Unit locked down the scene for several hours. The York Rd was closed between the Concession Rds for several hours as the they investigated.

NRPS with held the name of both the driver and the passenger at the time of their first announcement.

Now the name of the driver has been made public as Brandon Joseph Rioux, 38 of St. Catharines. NRPS announced Rioux’s arrest on July 15. He is charged with impaired driving causing death and impaired driving with a BAC over 80.

Rioux remains in custody and will appear in court on July 16.

Police have appealed to the public for witness and any security footage at the time of the crash. Anyone with information can call the lead detective at  905-688-4111, ext. 3, badge 1009569 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.