Rideshare driver charged for impaired driving with 3 times the legal limit
Posted Mar 12, 2025 11:31:32 AM.
Last Updated Mar 12, 2025 11:31:40 AM.
Police charged a rideshare driver after a three-vehicle collision on Highway 417 this morning.
Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police responded to the area of Lees Avenue just before 7:00 a.m. for the crash. One of the drivers was suspected of having consumed alcohol.
The individual had a passenger on board at the time. Officers used a roadside screening device and the driver was taken to the detachment for more testing. The rideshare driver registered nearly three times the legal limit.
Oleksandr Katerynych, 40, faces charges like:
- Operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus)
- Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs
- Dangerous operation
The passenger in the rideshare vehicle had minor injuries but was transported to hospital.
The accused faces a 90-day driving suspension and the vehicle is impounded for a week.
He is set to appear in an Ontario Court of Justice.
Police say that they have seen a slight increase in the number of impaired drivers. Last year at this time they charged 319 drivers, but in 2025 that number has risen to 327 people.
“We know impaired driving can be deadly. We encourage every driver to consider the potential impact of their actions on their own lives and the lives of everyone else on the road. Never drive impaired,” Chief Superintendent Lisa Wilhelm, OPP East Region Commander, said in a release.
