Man, 25, killed on Red Hill was drug-impaired: police

Hamilton police say a 25-year-old who died in a crossover crash on the Red Hill Valley Parkway in January was impaired by drugs at the time.

Michael Scholer, 25, from Caledonia was killed Jan. 25 after the minivan he was driving crossed the centre, grassy median and crashed into a commercial truck around Dartnall Road before 5 p.m.

“Detectives in the collision reconstruction unit have received the information from the toxicology report and the findings were that the deceased man ... was impaired by drugs,” said police spokesperson Const. Steve Welton.

Scholer died at the scene and the 43-year-old driver from the truck was treated in hospital for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

Scholer was on his way to work in Oakville when the crash happened.

His sister, Melissa (Missie) Scholer, has previously called for centre median barriers on the highway, arguing it could have prevented the crossover.

Despite being shocked by the test results, she said her opinion hasn’t changed. She still believes her brother would be alive if there had been a barrier.

“(The toxicology results) doesn’t define the man he was and it doesn’t change the fact he helped and touched so many lives or that his nieces and nephew miss him like crazy,” she said.

This crash and similar crossover have led to a public debate about safety on the Lincoln Alexander and Red Hill Valley parkways.

In a recent analysis of 125 fatal crashes on city roads and highways over the last more than five years, police said half of the eight fatal crashes on the Red Hill and Linc were crossover collisions.

In total, there were 10 crossover crashes on Hamilton roads since 2012 and six on provincial highways since 2011.

Hamilton police have released an analysis of 125 fatal crashes over more than five years across the city, giving a first-time, big-picture glimpse into what causes deaths on city roads and highways.

Speed, impairment and inattentive driving remain the top contributing factors to most crashes, the analysis found.