Milton Urgiles was sentenced on Tuesday to five years in prison for the death of dump truck driver Denis Garant in 2020. Justice Mary Vallee delivered her decision in a Barrie courtroom saying Urgiles bears a “high degree of moral culpability for this grave offence.”
The 48-year-old Toronto man was convicted of criminal negligence causing the death of the dump truck driver who worked for Urgiles the day his tire blew and the truck crashed into a ditch south of Alliston. Garant was killed instantly. He was 53 and a husband and father to a young boy. His widow’s victim impact statement described being traumatized and left in financial peril.
Urgiles, who was Garant’s supervisor at the time, was found to have ignored Garant’s text the night before the fatal crash expressing his concern about an issue with the dump truck’s steering. Urgiles testified he checked the vehicle and shifted the blame to driver error.
Justice Vallee noted that if a mechanic had inspected the truck it wouldn’t have been on the road that day, adding “the collision would not have happened.”
An expert witness previously told the court there was an alignment issue with the truck and it should not have been on the road based on the poor condition of the tire. The expert said there wasn’t enough structural support in the weakened tire to sustain an impact.
The judge also highlighted Urgiles “egregious” commercial vehicle operator record, noting several violations, fines and poor record keeping.
The Crown called Urgiles morally corrupt, saying he put money above all else, arguing he ignored warning signs and ultimately sent a man to his death.
Urgiles addressed the court and the family of Garant, saying, “May God forgive me once again.” His wife, who owned the company at the time of the crash, hugged Urgiles before leaving the courthouse. She declined to comment on his sentence.
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