Hamilton man guilty of leaving scene of fatal crash
Motorcyclist died after striking back of tractor on Centennial Parkway
A Hamilton man has been convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal accident involving his tractor and a motorcycle three years ago.
Ontario Court Justice Martha Zivolak found that David Bobor was driving on Upper Centennial Parkway near Highland Road East shortly before 3 a.m. Aug. 9, 2014 when a motorcycle ran into the back of his tractor.
Witnesses who saw the farm tractor soon came upon 44-year-old Steve Marcotte, the motorcyclist who was pronounced dead at the scene. It appeared he did not have his headlight on.
Bobor, 48, didn’t stop, but kept driving — a trail of damaged asphalt led police 750 metres from the accident scene to where Bobor regularly parked the tractor. It had damage to its left rear tire. Court heard Bobor told police a dump truck had hit him trying to pass the tractor. He didn’t believe police would help so he kept driving.
But Zivolak found that was a lie intended to deflect responsibility. “The only logical inference is that it was Mr. Bobor driving his tractor that the motorcycle came into collision with.”
Bobor provided a statement to police about 24 hours after the crash. He “appeared to be genuinely surprised someone had died,” Zivolak noted.
She found Bobor not guilty of leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily harm or death but guilty of the lesser offence of simply leaving the scene of an accident.
At the time of the crash, Bobor had been driving his tractor home after watching a football game at the End Zone bar in the east end.
He spent a month behind bars before being released on bail in 2014.
At the time of the crash, the case drew headlines because Bobor and Marcotte were tied to the former Red Devils Motorcycle Club.
Marcotte was a member of the club and Bobor left the club about 10 years before the crash. However, that connection later proved pure coincidence.
After the crash, the Marcotte family described the 44-year-old as a motorcycle enthusiast who loved the camaraderie of the club.
The married father of three adult children ran a house-framing business and taught carpentry at Mohawk College.
Supporters of both sides sat in the courtroom Thursday.
Bobor returns to court for sentencing Aug. 25.