A 19-year-old woman from St. Catharines is facing charges following a collision on Highway 406 in St. Catharines, Ontario, which resulted in the death of an 18-year-old woman from Thorold. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced on Tuesday that the driver involved in the crash on December 3 has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and bodily harm.
According to the OPP, the fatal incident occurred near Third Avenue when the 18-year-old victim was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. The OPP confirmed that there was only one fatal crash on Highway 406 on December 3, which aligns with the details of this particular tragedy involving Alina Masud from Thorold.
The crash claimed the life of the 18-year-old victim at the scene, while the 19-year-old driver and a 20-year-old front seat passenger from Welland sustained minor injuries and were hospitalized. The collision happened when the southbound vehicle lost control and rolled into the center ditch at 8:20 p.m.
The driver has been released from custody and is set to appear at the St. Catharines courthouse on October 19, as per the OPP. Following the tragic death of Alina Masud, controversy arose at Thorold city hall when her family was informed just before her scheduled burial that the city would not allow it to proceed due to a cemetery bylaw restriction.
This refusal led to accusations of racism, causing discomfort among some city officials. Subsequent meetings resulted in adjustments to the city’s cemetery policy to accommodate the burial requirements of the Muslim community, including allowing burial plots to face the holy city of Mecca as per Islamic faith.
Despite these changes, Imam Asad Mahmood of Mosque Aisha in Thorold expressed dissatisfaction, suggesting that the city had not gone far enough in accommodating the Muslim community’s burial needs. The city responded by hiring a consulting firm to conduct an independent review of options for facilitating Muslim burial practices at the cemetery, in compliance with provincial laws and human rights regulations.