Many gaps in driver's licence review process, MTO admits at inquest

A policy officer with the Ministry of Transportation testified that concerns by police and doctors about someone's ability to drive can only be called in, but only during business hours.

The coroner's inquest is looking into the death of Walter Blight, 72. The Elliot Lake man died in a collision on Highway 69 in 2015. There are questions about whether he should have been behind the wheel due to medical issues.

Blight had been diagnosed with a severe respiratory illness, had been living with bipolar disorder and had other health issues, according to previous testimony.

So far the jury has heard that police were unable to stop Blight from driving, despite his vehicle weaving all over the road.

A few days before his death, both a doctor and a police officer had faxed licence review requests to theMTO.

On Wednesday, Ministry of Transportation policy officer Stella Velocci testified, as the final witness in the inquest.

Police and physicians send licence review requests in to the ministry because they arethe only licensing authority in Ontario.

Veloccisaidthe 50 staff in the medical review department looked at more than 200,000reports last year and admitted there are gaps in the process.

Velocci said doctors and police can phone reviews in to the MTO, but added few know about the number and it only operates during business hours.

Prubhu Rajan, the counsel to the Coroner saidthat is a major concern.

"Of course available 24-7 is critical," he said.

"Unfortunately fatalities, collisions, accident, whatever you would like to call them, they're not restricted to business hours, they happen at all hours, all manner of day."

Velocci went on to testify that when licence reviews come in if it's a complexcase it gets passed on to a committee of medical professionals who review and discuss the case before a decision is made.

She admitted that if there are not enough details from the reviews submitted by police or physicians they request further documentation from the driver in question.

Testimony at the inquest heard that a letter was sent to Blight in August 2015, more than a month after his death, requesting he provide further medical documentation.

Veloccisaidthe MTOhad no way of knowing Blight had died.

When one inquest juror asked if a loved one could contact the MTOwith concerns about someone's driving due to a medical condition, Veloccisaid they could send a letter. She added that when reviewing a licence for potential suspension the ministrytakes in to factor all the information they've been provided.

The legal counsels represented at the inquest will present closing comments to the jurors on Thursday.Rajan saidhe hopes they'll return with a verdict the same day.