Relatives of a teen arrested after a fatal Circle Drive crash say his mother pleaded with a court hours before the collision to keep her son in custody.
The 17-year-old was in court Wednesday prior to the crash. His mother told the court he was high on drugs and needed help, according to two of the boy’s aunts who spoke with CTV News Friday.
The family had been trying for months to get the teen addictions help.
“As parents, they know that they have an addiction and they should have legal rights just to put them in treatment centres right off the hop, not have to wait for a tragedy like this to happen in order to get treatment,” one of the aunts said.
His relatives cannot be named due to the boy’s age.
The teen was arrested Wednesday afternoon after the crash on Circle Drive near 108th Street. The collision occurred only hours after the court appearance.
Investigators believe the driver of a northbound vehicle hit a piece of construction equipment — a lift — before crossing the median and striking a southbound vehicle shortly before 1:30 p.m.
A 70-year-old man driving the southbound vehicle died at the scene. His name hasn’t been released.
The teen, who’s since been charged with breaching probation and breaching undertaking, was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and later released into police custody.
On Wednesday, police received two reports of the suspect vehicle being driven erratically prior to the collision.
Patrol members were unable to locate the vehicle before the crash, according to a police media release.
The crash shut down a section of Circle Drive for nearly six hours while police investigated.
The 17-year-old has made two court appearances since the collision.
No driving charges have been laid so far against the teen, but a police spokesperson says more charges are expected.
-based on a report by CTV Saskatoon’s Taylor Rattray
