An Essex County OPP constable found guilty of dangerous driving causing bodily harm is appealing the conviction.
Justice Bruce Thomas ruled Thursday that Constable Jamie Porto was guilty of the charge for not slowing down in the area before the crash.
During the trial, court heard in October 2014, Porto was rushing to the scene of what was believed to be a fiery crash when he crashed into another car on County Rd 42 and County Rd 31.
Porto's defence maintains if the driver of the other vehicle, Ryan Coombes, had pulled over for the cruiser which had its lights and sirens activated, then the crash would have been avoided.
Rob Jamieson, president of the OPP Association, spoke to the Lynn Martin Show and threw his support behind Porto.
"As you've heard he's obviously a person that's very engaged in his community, but clearly he's responding to something that's quite significant and his speeds have increased," says Jamieson.
The driver of the other car suffered broken ribs and a concussion.
Porto was going 178km/hour seconds before impact and 133 km/hour upon impact. But the judge found Porto should have slowed down in that area which consisted of a community safety zone with a school and a construction zone.
Jamieson agrees with Porto's lawyer's sentiments the ruling may have everyday consequences for officers.
"I think the lawyer is absolutely right, this could potentially having chilling repercussions across the country," says Jamieson.
According to Jamieson, getting drivers to pull over can be a big problem for officers.
"There [are] a lot of folks that don't pull over," says Jamieson. "You could be right behind them with your lights and sirens on and for whatever reason — distracted driving, they're not paying attention — they don't get over."
A date for sentencing will take place January 6th.