Paramedic charged in fatal Highway 17 crash

Nearly four months after a tragic crash between an ambulance and a snow plow that killed a 68-year-old woman near Wawa, police have laid charges.

The condition of Highway 17 -- between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa -- was deteriorating due to a winter storm on the morning of Feb. 20.

Officers with the Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police were called to a serious crash involving two vehicles near the Highway 17 and Highway 519 intersection just after 11 a.m. that morning.

"The investigation revealed that a southbound ambulance struck a southbound snow plow," OPP said in a news release.

As a result, the passenger in the ambulance, 68-year-old Connie Halverson of White River, was killed.

Connie Halverson, 68, of White River, Ont., was killed when the ambulance she was being transported in crashed into a snow plow. (Kerry Funeral Home)

Now, a 45-year-old paramedic from Wawa -- with nearly a decade of service -- has been charged with careless driving causing death and careless driving causing bodily harm.

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The accused is scheduled to appear in court on July 21.

If convicted, the penalty is a fine between $2,000 and $50,000 and/or prison for up to two years and a driver's licence suspension of up to five years.

According to an online fundraiser, the accused and another paramedic -- who was in the ambulance during the collision -- are recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.