An Orangeville man will spend more than eight years in prison in connection with a shocking drunk driving incident which claimed the life of a Mississauga teen. Peter Simms, of Orangeville, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to the death of 19-year-old Jagrajan Brar during a multi-vehicle hit-and-run last October in south Mississauga, after admitting that he would “carry guilt and shame” for his “selfish” behaviour.
Simms was running twice the legal alcohol limit when he hit another vehicle, which caused it to steer into a southbound lane and strike Brar’s vehicle, mortally wounding him. During a trial hearing in mid-March, Simms consumed several alcoholic drinks over a six-hour timeframe before heading northbound on Hurontario Street.
Around 12 a.m. on Oct. 10, Simms’ vehicle rear-ended a blue Kia Soul before driving into the southbound lanes, where he struck a white Honda Civic being driven by Brar, a student at Lorne Park Secondary School. Despite the efforts of first responders, Brar died at the scene of the impact. The trial found that Simms was travelling at 149 km/h just before the crash and registered a blood alcohol limit of nearly twice the legal limit.
Simms, who has three prior impaired driving convictions, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years of jail time but was credited with 414 days for time already served. Simms was also given a 30-year driving ban during the hearing. “Justice would be having my son (be) alive… there’s no justice,” Jagrajan’s father, Rob Brar, told reporters outside the courtroom after the sentence was handed down Monday. Look for additional coverage of the trial of Brady Robertson, who is charged with a fatal crash that claimed the life of a mother and her three children.
