A tragic chapter in a Toronto impaired driving case has reached a pivotal point as the driver responsible for a catastrophic crash that killed a young woman has admitted his guilt.
A Fateful Night on Lake Shore Boulevard
In the early morning hours of March 6, 2022, a night out turned deadly when Kumaran Sankarkumar, then 30, drove his 2018 BMW M4 with a 19-year-old female passenger along Lake Shore Boulevard West. The posted speed limit was 60 km/h, but according to court documents, Sankarkumar accelerated to an astonishing 180 km/h just five seconds before impact.
The situation worsened when Sankarkumar entered the westbound lanes despite four clear Wrong Way and Do Not Enter signs. He was driving directly toward a concrete barrier near Jameson Avenue.
The Catastrophic Collision
Court evidence revealed the BMW struck the immovable concrete bridge barrier at approximately 127 km/h. The force of the collision was so extreme that it split the vehicle in half between the driver and passenger seats.
The impact ejected the entire passenger seat, with the young woman still in it, from the vehicle. Crown attorney Marnie Goldenberg described the damage to the BMW as catastrophic, with numerous vehicle parts mangled, broken, and sheared off.
The victim was rushed to hospital but succumbed to her blunt force injuries. Her identity remains protected under a publication ban granted to her family by Superior Court Justice Michael Dineen.
A Troubling Pattern and Legal Consequences
Sankarkumar was also transported to hospital following the 2:35 a.m. crash. Blood tests conducted by the Centre of Forensic Sciences determined his blood alcohol level at the time of collision was 141 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood nearly double the legal limit.
Court records revealed Sankarkumar had accumulated five demerit points in two 2019 incidents for speeding and an unsafe collision causing non-fatal injury. An examination of the BMW after the fatal crash found no mechanical defects.
Two months after the tragedy, Sankarkumar turned himself in to Toronto Police Traffic Services. Now 34, he recently pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death before a courtroom audience that included the victim's mother and friends listening via Zoom.
The case has been adjourned until April for sentencing, when victim impact statements will shed more light on the promising young life cut short by what authorities describe as another preventable act of impaired driving.
