Hamilton man found guilty of dangerous driving in crash that killed two brothers

A Hamilton man has been found guilty of dangerous driving causing death in a crash that killed two brothers more than five years ago.

On Thursday, Justice Dale Parayeski found Rui Alberto Cordeiro-Calouro guilty of two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

The charges stemmed from a head-on crash on Jerseyville Road in Ancaster on Aug. 3, 2012 that killed Greg and Wayne Savoy, who were both in their early 50s. Charges were laid in December 2012.

Cordeiro-Calouro, who represented himself in court, was heading east on Jerseyville near Paddy Greene Road just after 11 p.m. at the time of the crash. His 2012 Dodge Charger collided with a 1966 Plymouth Fury in which the Savoy brothers were travelling.

Cordeiro-Calouro was driving 179 kilometres per hour in a 60 km/h zone on the two-lane hilly road.

Court heard Cordeiro-Calouro, who was 28 at the time, broke his pelvis after his car plowed into a utility pole and flipped over.

Three men and a 14-year-old girl travelling in Cordeiro-Calouro’s car were also injured in the crash.

The narrow road, which has a single street light at the intersection of Paddy Greene Road, would have been poorly lit at that time of night, Parayeski said.

“No reasonable, prudent driver would operate a motor vehicle at one kilometre under three times the posted speed limit,” the judge said upon delivering his verdict.

The risk of driving at 179 km/h given the lighting conditions “ought to have been … foreseeable,” he later added.

Court also heard that Greg Savoy, who was driving, had been impaired by alcohol at the time of the crash.

The Plymouth Fury crossed over the road’s centre line.

Cordeiro-Calouro’s sentencing has been put over until Nov. 17.