A Niagara man has pleaded guilty to impaired driving in connection with a 2022 crash in Niagara-on-the-Lake that claimed the life of his spouse. Brandon Rioux, 39, appeared in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines Monday and pleaded guilty to several charges, including impaired operation of a conveyance causing death.

At about 10:30 p.m. on July 9, 2022, court heard, Rioux was driving on York Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake between Concession 1 Road and Concession 2 Road when the vehicle left the roadway and veered on to a gravel shoulder.

He lost control of the vehicle, causing it to turn sideways and crash into a grassy ditch. The car flipped onto its roof and crashed into a rocky culvert before coming to rest in a driveway. Rioux’s 34-year-old common-law spouse, Ashley Vaillancourt, was in the front passenger seat.

“Sadly, the brunt of the impact was taken on the passenger side of the vehicle, which resulted in Ms. Vaillancourt being trapped inside, suspended upside down in the passenger seat,” assistant Crown attorney Richard Monette told the judge. Firefighters removed the passenger side door using the jaws of life and removed her from the mangled wreckage.

“EMS (emergency medical services) performed life-saving measures but, despite their efforts, she was pronounced deceased on scene,” the Crown said. Rioux was taken to Hamilton General Hospital for treatment of injuries that weren’t life-threatening and staff there drew samples of his blood for routine med.